Giants: The Parallel Lives of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln

作者 John Stauffer著
出版社 Hachette
出版时间 2009年12月第1版
ISBN 9780446698986
定价 106.70

内容简介

FrederickDouglassandAbrahamLincolnwerethepreeminentself-mademenoftheirtime.Inthismasterfuldualbiography,award-winningHarvardUniversityscholarJohnStaufferdescribesthetransformationsinthelivesofthesetwogiantsduringamajorshiftinculturalhistory,whenmenrejectedthestatusquoandembracednewidealsofpersonalliberty.AsDouglassandLincolnreinventedthemselvesandultimatelybecamefriends,theytransformedAmerica.Lincolnwasborndirtpoor,hadlessthanoneyearofformalschooling,andbecamethenation'sgreatestpresident.Douglassspentthefirsttwentyyearsofhislifeasaslave,hadnoformalschooling-infact,hismastersforbadehimtoreadorwrite-andbecameoneofthenation'sgreatestwritersandactivists,aswellasaspellbindingoratorandmessengerofaudacioushope,thepioneerwhoblazedthepathtraveledbyfutureAfrican-Americanleaders.Atatimewhenmostwhiteswouldnotletablackmancrosstheirthreshold,LincolninvitedDouglassintotheWhiteHouse.LincolnrecognizedthatheneededDouglasstohelphimdestroytheConfederacyandpreservetheUnion;DouglassrealizedthatLincoln'sshrewdsenseofpublicopinionwouldservehisowngoaloffreeingthenation'sblacks.Theirrelationshipshiftedinresponsetothecountry'sdebateoverslavery,abolition,andemancipation.Bothwereambitiousmen.Theyhadgreatfaithinthemoralandtechnologicalprogressoftheirnation.Andtheywerenotalwaysconsistentintheirviews.JohnStaufferdescribestheirpersonalandpoliticalstruggleswithakeenunderstandingofthedilemmasDouglassandLincolnconfrontedandthesocialcontextinwhichtheyoccurred.WhatemergesisabrilliantportraitofhowtwoofAmerica'sgreatestleaderslived.

作者简介

JohnStaufferisProfessorofEnglishandAmericanLiteratureandLanguageatHarvardUniversity.Hisfirstbook,TheBlackHeartsofMen:RadicalAbolitionistsandtheTransformationofRace(HarvardUniversityPress,2002),wastheco-winnerofthe2002FrederickDouglassBookPrizefromtheGilderLehrmanInstitue;winneroftheAveryCravenBookPrizefromtheOAH;andtheLincolnPrizerunner-up.Otherworksinclude:MeteorofWar:TheJohnBrownStory(withZoeTrodd,2004);FrederickDouglass'MyBondageandMyFreedom.

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