Abraham Lincoln and His Times: A Sourcebook on His Life, His Presidency, Slavery and Civil War

Lincoln’s significance in the history of slavery and emancipation, the Union’s preservation and the formation of a new national vision is crucial to comprehending the antebellum and Civil War periods in American history. This is a one-of-a-kind hybrid reference work that combines chronology with almost 400 primary source papers to contextualize Lincoln’s life within his historical era.

These written materials serve as the foundation upon which historians can construct a picture of Lincoln’s America. In addition to important chronology and documents, this work includes introductory essays that summarize the topics of each chapter, brief biographies of those referenced in the book, and a source bibliography. Historical records are the heart of this work. Documents illustrate different viewpoints, to provide a full grasp of the time and place, as well as Lincoln’s significance during this era.

Thomas J. Ebert is a retired reference and documents librarian at California State University, Fresno where he also served as associate vice president for academic personnel. He lives in Clovis, California. Allen Carden is a professor of history at Fresno Pacific University.