The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery

Abraham Lincoln was a political actor and a human being, and therefore it should be no surprise that his views of slavery were evolving and contradictory — and that he was slow “to begin to glimpse the possibility of racial equality in America.” Eric Foner's The Fiery Trial masterfully explores this complex history; it is a useful corrective to the simplistic Great Man narratives of works such as Lincoln (the 2012 film) or Team of Rivals.