The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln Through His Words. By Ronald C. White, Jr. (New York: Random House, 2005. Pp. xxiii, 448.)
In The Eloquent President, Ronald C. White reexamines the wartime character of Abraham Lincoln through a careful study of Lincoln’s major presidential speeches. While White notes that the American public has long admired the profound eloquence of Lincoln’s speeches, he suggests that few have understood the true meaning of those words. Whereas most Americans have examined each speech independently, White argues that Lincoln’s speeches are like a string of pearls that are best understood as a whole rather than as separate entities unto themselves. Accordingly, he examines the major presidential speeches in unison, showing the important connections and the eventual growth and evolution within Lincoln’s wartime rhetoric. Emerging from White’s rhetorical analysis is a valuable portrait of Lincoln’s presidency and the rich meaning of the words that underlay his eloquence.
The Eloquent President is a chronological narrative of Lincoln’s major speeches as President of the United States. With the exception of the first chapter, which considers the multiple impromptu speeches that Lincoln made en-route to Washington from Springfield, each chapter is devoted to a single speech. He thus considers each speech in succession, and explains the ways in which Lincoln’s presidential speeches built upon and were related to each other. As a part of this discussion, White likewise traces the evolution of Lincoln’s speaking style, from the man who relied heavily upon the thoughts and suggestions of William Seward for his first inaugural address to his privately composed masterpieces delivered at Gettysburg and his second inauguration. Included in this discussion is an analysis of Lincoln’s private musings and meditation on Divine will and his semi-private letter to Albert G. Hodges in April 1864. White analyzes these two documents because of their important influences upon Lincoln’s second inaugural. Throughout these speeches, White discusses Lincoln’s complicated statements on the nature of the war and the relationship of slavery to the contest. While slavery had always been the cause of the war for Lincoln, he had resisted the temptation to make it a national cause until he saw that it could help the Union to win the war.
Importantly, White is measured in his veneration Lincoln’s abilities as a speaker. He admits that Lincoln was both uncomfortable and ineffective as an impromptu speechmaker. Although White notes that Lincoln had strong reasons for relying upon prepared speeches, he notes that this style left many Americans concerned about Lincoln’s capacities as a leader. For instance, many Northerners were unsatisfied with Lincoln’s speeches along the railroad path from Springfield to Washington. Rather than suggesting that Lincoln was an eloquent and captivating speaker from the beginning of his presidency, White argues that Lincoln developed and improved his rhetorical style throughout the course of his presidency. Hence, for White, the Lincoln of the Gettysburg Address and the second inaugural address, was the product of years of editing and improvement. Further, White shows that even at the height of Lincoln’s eloquence, not all who heard his speeches were impressed. For instance, opposition newspapers like the New York Herald and foreign papers like the London Times criticized Lincoln’s rhetorical style and found fault with even his most eloquent pronouncements, such as the Gettysburg Address. Hence, White presents a fair portrait of Lincoln’s eloquence.
While White’s portrayal of the eloquent Lincoln is important, a purely rhetorical view of Lincoln ignores the important complexities and contexts that shaped and defined Lincoln’s presidency, and frequently gave life and meaning to his rhetoric. Although the book provides valuable insights into the events surrounding the Emancipation Proclamation and the serious concerns of the summer of 1862, it is lacking in its analysis of Lincoln during some of the other critical junctures of the war. Most obvious among these omissions is any discussion of 1864 and questions surrounding Lincoln’s reelection. While information about how these events influenced Lincoln can be found in other locations, one wonders about the degree to which these events shaped his rhetoric during the late stages of the war, particularly his second inaugural address.
Although White’s book may be a somewhat incomplete biographical portrait of Abraham Lincoln, it is nevertheless an important contribution to our understanding of the man. By explaining the meaning, interconnectedness, and depth of Lincoln’s presidential speeches, White helps to demystify and clarify a measure of Lincoln’s enigmatic personality. Further, White’s approach strips away some of the seeming contradictions in Lincoln’s statements regarding the nature of the war and its relationship to the institution of slavery. While some historians will disagree with White’s insistence that Lincoln was, indeed, always anti-slavery, they must nevertheless deal with White’s argument and his rhetorical analysis of the issue.
Brett D. Dowdle