The Real Lincoln Thomas Delorenzo Summary

Thomas DiLorenzo’s purpose in writing The Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War is to portray the idea of a different side of one of America’s greatest presidents. Abraham Lincoln is indeed one of the most written about “American political figure[s]” (1). However, The Real Lincoln is devoted to revealing the true mindset and agenda of Abraham Lincoln during his time of presidency. DiLorenzo, in one single book, undermines the political choices and strategies of Abraham Lincoln. He challenges the decisions Lincoln made; specifically stating that Lincoln “could have ended slavery just as dozens of other countries in the world did” (4).

The author, Thomas DiLorenzo, grew up in Pennsylvania. He received a bachelor of arts in economics from Westminster College in Pennsylvania. Soon after, he continued on to receive a Ph.D. in economics from Virginia Tech. Following after that, he proceeded to teach at the State University of New York at Buffalo, George Mason University, and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. As

of now, he continues as a professor of economics at Loyola University Maryland. DiLorenzo has written one other book, Lincoln Unmasked: What You’re Not Supposed to Know About Dishonest Abe. Similar to The Real Lincoln, this book also portrays DiLorenzo’s thoughts and ideas on how Abraham Lincoln really was behind his presidency. DiLorenzo further continues to stick with his thoughts on how Lincoln was only for the freedom of slaves for war and political collateral. DiLorenzo has as much right and qualification to write opinionated statements as the next person. With his education and degrees in economics, this qualifies him even more. However, they are nothing more than opinions. Whether or not he is or is not right about Lincoln and his presidency, the years he was in office changed the future of America.
Chapter two discusses how others find Lincoln’s pledge for racial equality more of a questionable debate. People found Lincoln a “master politician, which means that he was a consummate conniver, manipulator, and liar”(11). In this chapter, DiLorenzo continuously argues that Lincoln used the controversy of racial equality for nothing more than just a con for his political debate. He further implies that Lincoln never did see the black race as equal to the white race.
Chapter three questions Lincoln’s reasoning for not ending slavery the way that the rest of the world did during the nineteenth century. According to some, “[d]ozens of countries…ended slavery [peacefully] during the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries” (48). Throughout the rest of the chapter, DiLorenzo frequently discusses the debate over Lincoln and having to result to a war within country. DiLorenzo writes that, “[o]nly in the United States was warfare associated with emancipation” (48).
Chapter four goes over Henry Clay’s American System and his economic agenda. DiLorenzo refers to Henry Clay as “…Lincoln’s political idol…” (55). All throughout chapter four DiLorenzo runs through a quick overview on Henry Clay, the Whigs, his time in Congress, and his decision making process, similar to Lincoln. DiLorenzo was determined to convince his readers that “…Clay and his compatriots…sought to bring the British mercantilist system to America…” (62).
Chapter five reviews secession and what rights that meant for America. “The most fundamental principle of political philosophy was the right of secession” (85). This chapter is forty five pages of what secession meant to different regions (New England, Central and Northern Confederacy). According to the Declaration of Independence, no government was too powerful for the people to control. The people of America had say so, first and foremost.
Chapter six challenges the idea of Lincoln saving the Constitution. This chapter argues that suspending constitutional liberty was equal to abandoning the Constitution, rather than saving it. Although strict rules still applied to even those who were taken into presidency, “…upon taking office Lincoln implemented a series of unconstitutional acts…” (131). Because of his decision to start war without alerting Congress, most labeled Lincoln as more of a dictator than a President.
Chapter seven refers to another way that Lincoln abandoned his responsibilities during his presidency. Specifying towards the Geneva Convention of 1863, Lincoln is said to have deserted the “accepted rules of war” (6). Throughout chapter seven, DiLorenzo explain the rules of war and how Lincoln only looked towards benefitting himself politically. “Lincoln ignored the arguments of his attorney general as well as the words of the Constitution…” (149).
Chapter eight discusses Lincoln’s political legacy throughout the Reconstruction. Through the pages of this chapter, DiLorenzo discusses specifically about the South and the aftermath it faced once the war was over. “…Southerners because more and more embittered over being treated as second-class citizens…” (200). DiLorenzo portrays Lincoln to have single handedly “…poisoned race relations in the South beyond repair at a time when racial reconciliation should have been the primary objective” (7).
Chapter nine, however, discusses Lincoln’s economic legacy and his favor in Henry Clay’s American System. “To Lincoln, slavery was just another political issue subject to compromise” (237). However, when it came down to other political things, such as protectionist tariffs, Lincoln did not find those debatable. Lincoln’s goal was to follow the American System of Henry Clay’s and establish a more centralized government between the North and the South again.
Chapter ten examines federalism and relates it to Lincoln’s war. According to DiLorenzo, Lincoln’s entire goal for launching “a military invasion” (258) was not what history had initially laid out. Instead, “…he wanted to use military force to destroy once and for all the doctrines of federalism…” (258). From DiLorenzo’s viewpoint, “Lincoln can said to have saved the Union only in a geographical sense” (8).
Throughout the book, DiLorenzo uses both primary and secondary sources. Although there are several documented sources used from the time period of Lincoln, DiLorenzo also favors the use of sources that analyze his primary sources. DiLorenzo had The Real Lincoln laid out in chronological order between the years 1830 to 1865. There are two tables used in the book, found on pages 50 and 107 through 109. Found on page 50 is a table displaying countries and regions and what years they went through peaceful emancipation. The table, found on pages 107 through 109, specifically refers to newspaper articles written about secession between 1860 and 1861.
There are plenty of strengths and weaknesses found in The Real Lincoln.

DiLorenzo evidently proves to find more faults in Abraham Lincoln and his decision process while he was president. Therefore, he wrote this book for one purpose. And that was to “cure the selective amnesia Lincoln’s defenders have promoted” (Ewers). This book promptly gives evidence throughout it to prove all of DiLorenzo’s statements about Lincoln. However, DiLorenzo failed to ever mention the opposing views. Although DiLorenzo may not have complied with Lincoln that still did not take away from the kind of leader Lincoln was. No matter what was thrown his way during his presidency, “Lincoln rose above his shortcomings and tackled, head on, the most challenging issue of his day” (Gamble). Without mentioning Lincoln’s strong points as well as his weak, DiLorenzo’s book has a lower qualification as a book of research and more of

opinion.
In conclusion, people that agree with DiLorenzo’s theory on Lincoln should read this book. Although, yes, maybe Lincoln did not completely agree with racial equality, and yes, maybe he did agree with Henry Clay and his idea for the American System, Abraham Lincoln still is a major part of America’s history. And without his presidency and leadership in the nineteenth century, America would not be the same country that it is today!