Lincoln's political thought

At the center of Lincoln s career is an intense passion for equality, a passion that runs so deep in the speeches, messages, and letters that it has the force of religious conviction for Lincoln.

George Kateb examines these writings to reveal that this passion explains Lincoln's reverence for both the Constitution and the Union.

The man who emerges in Kateb s account proves himself adequate to the most terrible political situation in American history. 'Lincoln's Political Thought', however, illustrates the unsettling truth that in democratic politics perhaps in all politics it is nearly impossible to do the right thing for the right reasons, honestly stated.