Lincoln's Last Card - (Landmark Presidential Decisions) by Richard J Ellis

Book Synopsis

A fresh reassessment of the Emancipation Proclamation that looks beyond the Lincoln mythos and sees the decision as Lincoln's last resort after his failure to persuade a divided country.

There is a certain comfort in being able to see Lincoln--or any president--simply as either a hero or a villain. The truth, however, is more complicated. Lincoln's Last Card helps us look beyond the myths to see Lincoln as the flawed and consequential leader that he was.

Few presidential edicts are more famous or misunderstood than the Emancipation Proclamation. The traditional myth about the proclamation is that President Lincoln freed the slaves with a bold stroke of his pen. This popular understanding deifies Lincoln as the sagacious Great Emancipator and constructs a narrative of American history centered around the heroic deeds of our "great" presidents. A more cynical view, bolstered by recent historical examinations of Lincoln's own racial biases, says the proclamation was much ado about nothing; a largely hollow gesture that freed no slaves at all and lacked even a moral indictment of slavery. Both views, however, see presidential power as largely unrestricted and unilateral, so that Lincoln's decisions occur in a virtual vacuum--a timeless display of his moral virtue, or lack thereof.

Richard Ellis, a veteran scholar of the American presidency, suggests that we look at Lincoln's proclamation through the lens of presidential weakness rather than greatness. To do so, Ellis draws on the work of renowned political scientist Richard Neustadt, who explored "three cases of command" from the twentieth century in his 1960 work, Presidential Power. Where the public saw presidential success, Neustadt saw presidents engaged in "a painful last resort," suggesting not political mastery but rather the failure to achieve goals through other means. Ellis applies this same perspective to the Emancipation Proclamation, showing how Lincoln's great success was, in fact, his last card. Lincoln's original hope was to persuade the border states to endorse his plan for gradual, compensated abolition, preferably coupled with some level of voluntary colonization. Contrary to conventional wisdom and in contrast to Lincoln's reputation as the greatest presidential orator, Ellis shows how the Emancipation Proclamation was a sign of Lincoln's failure to persuade.

Review Quotes

"A worthwhile read for those willing to have their assumptions challenged and reconsidered."--Emerging Civil War

"In Lincoln's Last Card, Richard J. Ellis retells the story of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation in a fresh and powerful way by highlighting the extraordinarily difficult constraints under which Lincoln acted. Emancipation by presidential proclamation was Lincoln's 'last card' because he had already exhausted every less risky course of action. Ellis persuasively shows how Lincoln's greatness lies in his willingness to try, and fail, and try again."--James H. Read, author of Sovereign of a Free People: Abraham Lincoln, Majority Rule, and Slavery

"In a well-written and argued book, Richard Ellis has provided a new and important interpretation of Lincoln's historic decision for emancipation. He writes that the Emancipation Proclamation was a 'painful last resort' by Lincoln to achieve his antislavery objective after his attempts at persuasion had failed. Anyone interested in the ending of slavery and Lincoln's preeminent role in it should want to read this book."--William C. Harris, author of Lincoln Illuminated and Remembered

"This book offers a detailed, nuanced, and unique analysis of Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation. Ellis gives readers a much-needed assessment that breaks through the longstanding narrative of 'heroic myth' most often associated with this historic and momentous presidential decision. This pragmatic look at the various stages of decision-making allows readers to appreciate the historical significance of Lincoln's action while also understanding the inherent weakness within and limitations of the office of the presidency."--Lori Cox Han, author of Advising Nixon: The White House Memos of Patrick J. Buchanan

"Students of the presidency as well as those of the Civil War will find this study of the Emancipation Proclamation of great interest for Ellis treats Lincoln's issuance of it as a case study in Richard Neustadt's theory of the presidency as drastically limited in its power to command. As Ellis argues, the Emancipation Proclamation was less Lincoln's great achievement than his 'last resort, ' something he was more or less forced into by his inability to secure the end of slavery by what he considered far preferable means."--Michael P. Zuckert, author of A Nation So Conceived: Abraham Lincoln and the Paradox of Democratic Sovereignty

"Richard Ellis tells a tale of limits and failure; yet the tale is gripping and even oddly reassuring. By following the twists and turns on the way to the Emancipation Proclamation, Ellis demonstrates that democratic statesmanship is not about command, but persuasion. If Lincoln was not the Great Emancipator, was he then the Great Persuader? Not exactly, for despite the undeniable force and beauty of Lincoln's words, they too usually failed. And yet, emancipation was achieved. Lincoln emerges from Ellis's account as a president who understood the limits of his office and who was capable of patiently navigating the political labyrinth."--Diana Schaub, author of His Greatest Speeches: How Lincoln Moved the Nation