Why read The Crooked Path to Abolition?

Book cover of The Crooked Path to Abolition: Abraham Lincoln and the Antislavery Constitution

Book description

The long and turning path to the abolition of American slavery has often been attributed to the equivocations and inconsistencies of anti-slavery leaders, including Lincoln himself. But James Oakes's brilliant history of Lincoln's anti-slavery strategies reveals a striking consistency and commitment extending over many years. The linchpin of anti-slavery for…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Crooked Path to Abolition as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Garry Wills

Author

Some people assume that Lincoln at first faintly disapproved of slavery but did not think of abolishing it until the chance was almost forced upon him. Oakes argues, rather, that he hated slavery from the outset and held that the Constitution viewed it as temporary, something deplorable and to be disparaged. Armed with this knowledge, he was able in practice to strike at it whenever opportunity made that possible.

From Garry's list on Abraham Lincoln, his life, and his words.