The Wisdom of History

Chapter 10 explores what lessons can be learned from Lincoln’s use of history in his political career. The chapter opens with two eulogies on Lincoln, one by George Bancroft and the other by Frederick Douglass, showing the effect Lincoln had on shaping the collective memory of the past. Chapter 10 next explores the thoughts of Reinhold Niebuhr, who believed that history, religion, and politics were deeply intertwined and should not be understood separately, and it analyzes Niebuhr’s belief that Lincoln’s “Second Inaugural Address” was an exemplar of this understanding. Chapter 10 concludes by exploring how Lincoln derived wisdom from the past and what lessons it can teach.