DOC Mourning Lincoln by Martha Hodes in History

Review

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful. Mourning Lincoln is a scholarly work which is the best resource on the American public s response to the Lincoln assassinationBy C. M MillsMourning Lincoln by Dr. Martha Hodes of YU is a remarkable piece of scholarship. Hodes has poured over one thousand letters; diaries; newspapers and books of the era to focus on how the assassination of President Lincoln Abraham on April 14; 1865 affected the American public. Her work sheds new light on the ways the first assassination of an American POTUS was perceived. Among her findings":a. Lincoln was mourned widely throughout the North. At least one million persons were able to glance at Lincoln in his casket as the train carrying him to a final burial in Springfield Illinois made its somber journey.b. The death of Lincoln was deeply lamented by recently freed African-Americans.c. Most White Southerners rejoiced at the demise of Lincoln except those whose believed Lincoln s death would mean a harsher reconstruction under his successor Andrew Johnson.d. Northern groups such as the anti-emancipation group the Copperheads were glad Lincoln was dead.5. In countless sermons the late martyred POTUS was compared with Jesus Christ. Many African-Americans viewed Lincoln as a new Moses.6. Despite grief most Americans had to continue working each day in the onerous duties of nineteenth century household management and making a living.7. Soldiers were mostly sad at the murder of Lincoln and sought revenge against Southerners for the assassination.8. Violence against blacks and those who refused to mourn Lincoln were manifest in every part of the land.9. Many white southerners considered John Wilkes Booth the assassin as a hero of the South.10. Mary Lincoln was devastated by the murder of her husband and never recovered from the deep grief she suffered. Hodes has contributed greatly to how our nation reacted to the Lincoln assassination. The book is worthy of praise and is destined to become a classic of Lincoln scholarship. The book is well illustrated with period photos and illustrations. It includes extensive notes and bibliography.First rate!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A staggering wealth of researchBy Codie EIn "Mourning Lincoln;" historian Martha Hodes provides a staggering wealth of research detailing the psyche of the American people in the moments; days; weeks and months following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. In examining the collective citizenry of the United States in 1865; she has unearthed and assembled bountiful and weighty evidence to denounce the idea that Americans were by any means a monolith when it came to their widespread reactions to the president's shocking and untimely death.In her engrossing narrative; Hodes covers every subset of the population's reactions to Lincoln's murder; ranging from mournful northern abolitionists to vindictive southern secessionists; and virtually everyone in between. At the heart of her chronicle is the story of average Americans and their personal responses to hearing and reacting to the Lincoln assassination; and how; for many who lost family members on Civil War battlefields far from home; the phenomena surrounding Lincoln's death and funereal activities served as a "substitute for the rituals of more intimate losses." Without their beloved leader; and without their loved ones killed throughout four years of war; Lincoln's mourners had to find a way to cope as individuals and as a nation; and "think concretely about reconstructing the nation without slavery--and without President Lincoln either."Hodes' analysis reveals that common reactions to the assassination found in contemporary diaries and letters were ambiguous and complicated; for many Lincoln lovers; Hodes declares; the saga of the assassination and its aftermath served as a "providential story in which God had permitted Lincoln's death for a more glorious future" of reunion; due process for former Confederates and steady; patient efforts toward racial equality. For others it "was just plain tragic." And yet for most Americans--including those who lamented Lincoln’s death; as well as those who cheered in its aftermath--life simply had to go on. According to Hodes; regardless of the seemingly earth-shattering consequences of the murder of the president; it was “eminently clear…that the assassination had brought neither life nor death to a halt.”Perhaps most noteworthy of all; a fair amount of Hodes' book is devoted to telling the story of recently freed slaves; who were in many cases those most touched by the death of their Great Emancipator. It was Lincoln's assassination; argues Hodes; which allowed for a postwar South in which former Confederates (many of whom; Hodes asserts; would have disavowed the prerequisite "former;" being that they refused to acknowledge the dismemberment of the Confederacy and the destruction of their failed nation-state) resorted to "unchecked violence for the sake of restoring the world they had never stopped fighting to get back." This; writes Hodes; forced most African Americans throughout the South into "conditions akin to slavery" during the newfound "regime of white supremacy." In that sense; Hodes maintains that the most striking result of Lincoln's death was that it served not as the last casualty of the Civil War; but rather as "the first volley in...a war on black freedom and equality"--a conflict which "still ebbs and flows in American history" to this day.As counterintuitive as it seems; if there is any element of Hodes’ effort that is lacking; it is that there may simply be too many historical examples contained within a fairly limited space (there are thousands of sources quoted within about 270 pages of text). The amount of research presented is immensely respectable--but at the same time the sheer number of firsthand accounts quoted in the narrative in many cases leads to unnecessary complexity; and more often than not; monotony. Time and again; Hodes makes her point clear by offering a thesis at the outset of a paragraph or section of the book; and follows it up with a half-dozen (or more) contemporary accounts which essentially echo one another--sometimes almost literally word for word. This is not to say that firsthand accounts are not valuable--they are the most cherished and imperative piece of any historical work; Hodes’ included--but here they can be cumbersome and oftentimes add unnecessary length to sections and chapters which could have been more concise.In all; “Mourning Lincoln” is a treasure which details a period in history about which much has been written; though not in this light. In utilizing intimate; contemporary firsthand entries to give a historical voice to everyday men and women--black and white; from both North and South--Martha Hodes has written an eloquent and illuminating description of a momentous; though apparently misunderstood; epoch in the American story.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Absorbing and fascinatingBy Jon Hunt"Mourning Lincoln"; Martha Hodes's new book about the aftermath of Lincoln's assassination; offers a revealing look on how Lincoln's death played out through a prism of grief and disgust. Centering around one couple from Massachusetts and an individual male from Florida; the author delves into many aspects of how the nation treated Lincoln's passing. It's a wonderful read.Quoting a variety of snippets from letters and diaries; we come to see how people reacted when they heard the news and what then followed. The divides not only covered feelings of north and south; but also black and white and men and women. Needless to say; the reactions ranged from deep sorrow from Lincoln followers to venom from his opponents; but Hodes constructs her book to let actual people "talk". With that she gives color to the history that unfolded.The big question that looms is "why?" Why was Lincoln killed; who really killed him and what did it mean for the nation. Other than the assassin; John Wilkes Booth; many thought that slavery was the undoubted reason. A large number of northern whites; consumed in grief; believed; however; that black men and women suffered the most with Lincoln's death. In the south; after rejoicing at the news; citizens there turned to what would happen next. The pages concerning President Andrew Johnson and his views on Reconstruction are as eye-opening as the book gets. How different from Lincoln they felt he was.In a few prescient observations; future president James Garfield (who was to be assassinated sixteen years later) wrote to his wife that talking about money or business at the very time was a sacrilege. Indeed; Sarah Browne; one of the couple from Massachusetts who was often quoted in the book; commented about the great sadness of Garfield's death almost as Lincoln's passing had never happened. My favorite comment was from a Virginia woman who had been taunted by white Yankees telling her; "in a few years we will have a negro President". A "few" years became over one hundred forty; but nonetheless it happened; of course."Mourning Lincoln" is an exceptionally fine book and one that is a must read for those with a particular interest in the Civil War. It is well-paced with a narrative that is terrific. I highly recommend it.