In a landmark work of deep scholarship and insight, Foner gives us a life of Lincoln as it intertwined with slavery, the defining issue of the time and the tragic hallmark of American history. The author demonstrates how Lincoln navigated a dynamic political landscape deftly, moving in measured steps, often on a path forged by abolitionists and radicals in his party, and that Lincoln's greatness lay in his capacity for moral and political growth.

"I am naturally anti-slavery" : young Abraham Lincoln and slavery --"Always a Whig" : Lincoln, the law, and the second party system -- "The monstrous injustice" : becoming a republican -- "A house divided" : slavery and race in the late 1850s -- "The only substantial difference" : secession and Civil War -- "I must have Kentucky" : the border strategy -- "Forever free" : the coming of emancipation -- "A new birth of freedom" : securing emancipation -- "A fitting, and necessary conclusion" : abolition, reelection, and the challenge of reconstruction -- Epilogue : "Every drop of blood" : the meaning of the war.