Events & Classes > Forever Free > Adult Booklist
Adult Booklist
- Nonfiction
- Narratives, autobiographies and biographies of former slaves
- Fiction
- Film and video
- Websites
Nonfiction
- Blight, David W.
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973.7 B648r 2001Blight delves deeply into the shifting meanings of death and sacrifice, Reconstruction, soldiers' reminiscences of battle, the idea of the Lost Cause, the ritual of Memorial Day, and resurrects African American voices and memories of the Civil War.
- Carwardine, Richard
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B-L736cL 2006An original and deeply insightful biography of Abraham Lincoln, already awarded the prestigious Lincoln Prize. Carwardine examines Lincoln both in his dramatic political journey and in his nation-shaping White House years. Through his groundbreaking research, Carwardine probes the sources of Lincoln's moral and political philosophy.
- Donald, David Herbert, ed., with Harold Holzer
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B-L736Lit 2005Featuring vintage photographs and illustrations, this unique history of Abraham Lincoln features additions from two eminent Lincoln historians.
- Farber, Daniel A.
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342.73 F219L 2003American Bar Association Silver Gavel Award winner. Discusses the constitutional issues President Lincoln faced during the Civil War, and evaluates the arguments he made in favor of his administration's actions.
- Fehrenbacher, Don Edward and Ward M. McAfee
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326.0973 F296s 2001Many leading historians have argued that the Constitution of the United States was a proslavery document. But in The Slaveholding Republic, one of America's most eminent historians refutes this claim in a landmark history that stretches from the Continental Congress to the Presidency of Abraham Lincoln.
- Fleischner, Jennifer
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B-L737f 2003A vibrant social history of the relationship between First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln and her black seamstress and confidante, Elizabeth Keckly, that recreates the lives of these two exceptional women and their remarkable friendship, set against the backdrop of 19th century America and Washington society.
- Foote, Shelby
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973.7 F67cClassic three volume narrative of the Civil War.
- Gary, Ralph
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B-L736ga 2001From attorney Lincoln's law offices to the presidential Oval Office, from the address in Springfield, Illinois, where he made up with Mary Todd after a spat, to the window he jumped out of to avoid a quorum call in the Illinois General Assembly, this unprecedented volume takes readers there. It also answers lingering questions about Lincoln's life as it sifts for the truth among the disputes that continue to rage among scholars.
- Geary, Rick
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GN GEARYA graphic novel covering the time period from Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address to the execution of his assassins that has received excellent reviews from a variety of sources. Though it is called a graphic novel, and is in comic book format, it is a nonfiction rendition of the plot to assassinate President Lincoln, and of the hunt for John Wilkes Booth. This is part of Geary's Treasury of Victorian Murder series.
- Goodwin, Doris Kearns
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B-L736go 2005An acclaimed, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian (No Ordinary Time) illuminates Lincoln's political genius in this highly original work, as the one-term congressman/prairie lawyer rises from obscurity to prevail over three gifted rivals of national reputation to become President.
- Guelzo, Allen C.
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B-L736gu 1999The first intellectual biography of Lincoln, this volume explores the role of ideas in Lincoln's life, treating him as a serious thinker deeply involved in the 19th-century debates over politics, religion, and culture. Written with passion and dramatic impact, Guelzo's masterful study offers a revealing new perspective on a man whose life was in many ways a paradox.
- Holzer, Harold
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973.7 H762Lc 2004Presenting himself as a compromise presidential candidate to the New York Republican establishment, the little-known westerner gave and later exploited the most successful political speech in the nation's history.
- Jaffa, Harry V.
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973.7 J23n 2000Forty years in the making and eagerly awaited by historians, A New Birth of Freedom describes Lincoln's thought in the face of the approaching Civil War. Jaffa is at his all-time best when he illuminates Lincoln's intellectual conflict with the philosopher of the Confederacy, John C. Calhoun.
- Jones, Howard
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327.73 J77a 1999Jones explores the relationship between President Lincoln's wartime diplomacy and his interrelated goals of forming a more perfect Union and abolishing slavery. From the outset of the Civil War, Lincoln's central purpose was to save the Union by defeating the South on the battlefield. No less important was his need to prevent a European intervention that would have facilitated the South's move for independence. Lincoln's goal of preserving the Union, however, soon evolved into an effort to form a more perfect Union, one that rested on the natural rights principles of the Declaration of Independence and thus necessitated emancipation.
- Klingaman, William K.
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973.7 K65a 2001"Klingaman ably demonstrates that the Proclamation, while driving away some elements from the commander-in-chief's original Civil War coalition, nevertheless undermined the rebel war effort, forestalled European recognition of the Confederacy, boosted Northern morale by offering a humanitarian ideal to undergird the preservation of the Union, assured the continued support of Radical Republicans, and allowed for the recruitment of African American troops. The conclusion emphasizes what this landmark document meant to both free and enslaved blacks and how its great legacy has been ill served by subsequent generations."
Edwards, John Carver. Library Journal. 1/1/2001, Vol. 126 Issue 1, p130. - Lincoln, Abraham
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973.7092 L736as 2001This volume contains more than 170 samples of Lincoln's private and public writings arranged around relevant topics with informative headnotes, a chronology, and questions to challenge the reader and fuel debate.
- Lowance, Mason I., ed.
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326 A259 2000Lowance has assembled more than 40 crucial speeches, lectures and essays to trace the evolution of the most important and revolutionary reform in American history: the abolitionist crusade. Here are the riveting words of the men and women who led the crusade, including William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, Lydia Maria Child, Wendell Phillips, Harriet Beecher Stowe and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
- McPherson, James M.
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973.73 M172bPulitzer Prize winner. A fast-paced narrative integrates the political, social and military events from the outbreak in Mexico to the ending at Appomattox.
- McPherson, James M., ed.
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973.7 A881 2005A visual representation of the Civil War, with 200 maps detailing specific battles and tactics used.
- Miller, William Lee
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B-L736m 2002From the author of Arguing About Slavery comes a narrative dramatization and interpretation of Abraham Lincoln's intellectual and moral development.
- Oates, Stephen B.
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B-L736oaThis masterful and moving biography follows Lincoln's bitter struggle with poverty, his self-made success in business and law, his early disappointing political career, and his leadership as President during one of America's most turbulent periods.
- Paludan, Phillip S.
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973.7 P184paPaludan offers us Lincoln in whole — a complex, even contradictory personality who found greatness without seeking it and who felt deeply troubled about what he perceived as the nation's intertwined triumph and tragedy.
- Remini, Robert Vincent
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B-C619rAmong 19th-century Americans, few commanded the reverence and respect accorded to Henry Clay of Kentucky. As orator and as Speaker of the House for longer than any man in the century, he wielded great power, a compelling presence in Congress who helped preserve the Union in the antebellum period. Remini portrays both the statesman and the private man, a man whose family life was painfully torn and who burned with ambition for the office he could not reach, the presidency.
- Shaara, Jeff
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917.304 S524j 2006Shaara discusses 10 significant Civil War battlefields, places them in the context of the Civil War, and the impact they had on the outcome of the war. Includes maps and photographs.
- Striner, Richard
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973.7 S918f 2006A re-evaluation of Lincoln's presidency arguing that once in office, Lincoln seized every opening afforded by the Civil War to push for emancipation and an increasingly expansive agenda of black political rights.
- Swanson, James L.
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364.1524 S972m 2006Manhunt takes readers on the intensive search that moves side-by-side with the desperate assassin from the streets of Washington, D. C., through the swamps of Maryland and into the forests of Virginia.
- White, Ronald C.
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B-L736we 2005This moving, alternative portrait of Abraham Lincoln and his presidency is told through the lens of his major speeches and writings.
- White, Ronald C.
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973.7 W587L 2002In the tradition of Garry Wills's Lincoln at Gettysburg, Lincoln's Greatest Speech combines impeccable scholarship and lively, engaging writing to reveal the full meaning of one of the greatest speeches in the nation's history.
- Williams, Frank J.
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973.7092 L736wj 2002These nine essays examine topics of interest to the modern reader, from Lincoln's attitude toward women, civil liberties, and the 13th Amendment to a unique article written with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Mark E. Neely Jr. on collecting Lincoln memorabilia. Based on a variety of primary and secondary sources and adorned with rare historic illustrations not published elsewhere.
Narratives, autobiographies and biographies of former slaves
- Coffin, Levi and William Still
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973.7115 F594 2004Two abolitionists and founders of the Underground Railroad left narratives of their experiences. The editors of this work have selected several first hand accounts of the perilous journey of slaves to reach freedom, and the assistance provided by conductors of the Underground Railroad. The editors provide historical context for each narrative. Levi Coffin was a white Quaker abolitionist, and William Still was an African American abolitionist, whose mother was an escaped slave, and whose father had paid for his own emancipation.
- Douglass, Frederick
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B-D737n 1993Frederick Douglass, an outspoken abolitionist, was born into slavery in 1818 and, after his escape in 1838, repeatedly risked his own freedom as an antislavery lecturer, writer and publisher.
- Henson, Josiah
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B-He397a 2003The autobiography of a man who escaped slavery to establish a community for ex-slaves in Canada, and a major figure in the Underground Railroad.
- Jacobs, Harriet A.
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326 J17i 2003One of the most significant slave narratives ever written...Harriet Jacobs relates her incredible story — from her sale as a slave to an abusive master to her bid for freedom as the lover of a white man to her ultimate emancipation.
- Larson, Kate Clifford
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B-T885L 2004A thorough analysis of Harriet Tubman's life and work.
- Truth, Sojourner
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B-T874b 1999Narrative of Sojourner Truth, who was emancipated in 1827. She went on to become a leading speaker for abolition.
Fiction
- Crane, Stephen
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FICTION CRANEA classic in American literature about a young Union soldier's experiences during the Civil War.
- Foote, Shelby
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FICTIONA fictional recounting of the battle of Shiloh by an acclaimed authority on the Civil War.
- Hambly, Barbara
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FICTION HAMBLYTen years after Abraham Lincoln's death, the president's widow is incarcerated in an insane asylum by her only surviving son. It is from this little-known episode that Hambly spins her intimate, insightful tapestry of this difficult, too-intelligent woman's life.
- Shaara, Jeff
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FICTION SHAARAAn award-winning prequel to The Killer Angels, written by Michael Shaara's son. Gods and Generals follows the lives of Stonewall Jackson, Winfield Scott Hancock, Joshua Chamberlain and Robert E. Lee from 1858 to 1863. Shaara focuses on how they evolved into leaders facing the political and military challenges of the day.
- Shaara, Jeff
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FICTION SHAARAThe final book in the trilogy, following where The Killer Angels left off. From Lee's retreat at Gettysburg, to his surrender at Appomattox, a fictional examination of the character of the generals who determined the outcome of the Civil War.
- Shaara, Michael
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FICTIONAn award-winning fictional account of the Battle of Gettysburg, from which the movie Gettysburg is based. This is part of a trilogy, completed by his son, Jeff Shaara.
- Vidal, Gore
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FICTION VIDALA fictional account of Lincoln's presidency, exploring Lincoln's inner turmoil and the changes in societal structure he helped foster.
Film and video
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VIDEO 973.7 AbrahamMore has been written about Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln than any other Americans, and yet, A House Divided is the first dual biography. The film follows the couple from their strikingly different childhoods in the South to their years in the White House. It uncovers their public ambitions and their private fears. It paints a vivid picture of a complicated marriage, of a couple who loved each other passionately, quarreled intensely, and who were frequently forced to mourn. And it describes the impact of Lincoln's brutal assassination on the nation and the sanity of his wife. Produced and directed by David Grubin for the PBS series, American Experience. A companion website, The Time of the Lincolns, is available, with chronologies, photographs and other resources.
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DVD Drama AMISTAD or VIDEO Drama AMISTADA dramatization recounting the 1839 mutiny and court trial of the slave ship Amistad.
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DVD 973.7 CIVILKen Burns' Emmy Award Winner. An epic documentary bringing life to America's most destructive — and defining — conflict. Here is the saga of celebrated generals and the ordinary soldiers. A heroic and transcendent president and a country that had to divide itself in two in order to become one again.
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DVD Drama FRIENDLYA heart-warming story about the day-to-day experiences of a Quaker family living in Indiana in 1862, showing their religious beliefs, their worldly temptations, their petty feuds, and their reactions in a time of crisis.
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VIDEO Drama GETTYSBECivil War drama depicting the events and personal struggles of the Union and Confederate soldiers at the Battle of Gettysburg.
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DVD Drama GLORYTwo idealistic young Bostonians lead the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, America's first black regiment in the Civil War.
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VIDEO Drama REDRetells Stephen Cranes's story of a young man's grappling with fear and courage during the Civil War.
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DVD Drama YOUNGClassic biographical telling of the life of Abraham Lincoln, from his youth to his death.
Websites
- Abe Press: Free Aid & Answers — Lincoln websites
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http://abepress.com/contact.htmlAn index to websites for more information about Abraham Lincoln, created by Lincoln impersonator, Charles Brame (The Living Lincoln).
- Aboard the Underground Railroad: A National Register Travel Itinerary
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http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/underground/The National Park Service created this site to showcase historic buildings that are significant in the history of the Underground Railroad. Includes listings of sites by state, and maps showing the various routes people took to escape slavery.
- The Abraham Lincoln Association
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http://www.alincolnassoc.com/The Abraham Lincoln Association was organized in 1908 as the Lincoln Centennial Association; it is devoted to research and education related to President Lincoln.
- Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial 2009
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http://www.lincolnbicentennial.gov/about/resources.phpThe 15 members of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission were appointed by the President, the Senate and the House of Representatives following the passage of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Act in 2000 (Public Law No: 106-173). The official public Bicentennial Commemoration launches February 2008 and closes February 2010, with the climax of the Commemoration taking place on February 12, 2009, the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth.
- Abraham Lincoln Historic Civil War Photograph Archive
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http://www.abrahamlincolnartgallery.com/archivephoto.htmA free online archive of 35 famous photographs of Abraham Lincoln taken during Lincoln's presidency. Created by James J. Nance.
- Abraham Lincoln Online
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http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln.htmlGeneral purpose site, with news and information related to Abraham Lincoln.
- Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress
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http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/alhtml/malhome.htmlAbraham Lincoln is one of 23 presidents whose papers are in the Library of Congress Manuscript Division. The Lincoln Papers came to the Library of Congress from Lincoln's oldest son, Robert Todd Lincoln (1843–1926), who arranged for their organization and care shortly after his father was assassinated on April 14, 1865. Search by keyword or browse the collection.
- Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
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http://www.alplm.org/home.htmlOfficial website of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois. Includes visitor information, educational materials and other information.
- The American Civil War Homepage
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http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/Produced by George H. Hoemann at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Megasite with links to all topics related to the Civil War.
- American Memory: Selected Civil War Photographs
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http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/cwphome.htmlSearch or browse Civil War era photographs from the collection of the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress.
- American Memory: Slaves and the Courts, 1740–1860
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http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/sthtml/sthome.html"Slaves and the Courts, 1740-1860 contains just over a hundred pamphlets and books (published between 1772 and 1889) concerning the difficult and troubling experiences of African and African-American slaves in the American colonies and the United States." Produced by the Library of Congress.
- American Memory: The Frederick Douglas Papers at the Library of Congress
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http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/doughtml/doughome.html"The Frederick Douglass Papers at the Library of Congress presents the papers of the nineteenth-century African-American abolitionist who escaped from slavery and then risked his own freedom by becoming an outspoken antislavery lecturer, writer, and publisher. The release of the Douglass Papers, from the Library of Congress's Manuscript Division, contains approximately 7,400 items (38,000 images) relating to Douglass' life as an escaped slave, abolitionist, editor, orator, and public servant. The papers span the years 1841 to 1964, with the bulk of the material from 1862 to 1895. The collection consists of correspondence, speeches and articles by Douglass and his contemporaries, a draft of his autobiography, financial and legal papers, scrapbooks, and miscellaneous items."
- American Slave Narratives: An Online Anthology
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http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/wpa/wpahome.html"From 1936 to 1938, over 2,300 former slaves from across the American South were interviewed by writers and journalists under the aegis of the Works Progress Administration... This website provides the opportunity to read a sample of these narratives, and to see some of the photographs taken at the time of the interviews." Created by Bruce Fort, Corcoran Department of History, University of Virginia.
- American Women's History: A Resource Guide — The Civil War Period
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http://www.mtsu.edu/~kmiddlet/history/women/wh-cwar.htmlResources on the history of American women during the Civil War.
- AmericanCivilWar.com
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http://americancivilwar.com/Website with statistics, maps, biographies, battle descriptions and more about the Civil War.
- Association of Lincoln Presenters
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http://www.lincolnpresenters.org/"The Association of Lincoln Presenters (ALP) is a union of men and women dedicated to bringing Abraham and Mary Lincoln to life. Through presentations that educate, entertain, and inspire, ALP members honor the words and works of the Lincolns."
- Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938
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http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/snhtml/snhome.htmlContains more than 2,300 first-person accounts of slavery and 500 black-and-white photographs of former slaves. A joint presentation of the Manuscript and Prints and Photographs divisions of the Library of Congress. Search this archive by keyword, or browse narratives by narrator or state, or browse photographs by subject or state.
- The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln
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http://www.hti.umich.edu/l/lincoln/In 1953, the Abraham Lincoln Association published The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln, a multi-volume set of Lincoln's correspondence, speeches, and other writings. This is an updated, electronic version of this work.
- Freedmen and Southern Society Project
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http://www.history.umd.edu/Freedmen/Created by the History Department at the University of Maryland, College Park. The Freedmen and Southern Society Project was established in 1976 to capture the essence of that revolution by depicting the drama of emancipation in the words of the participants: liberated slaves and defeated slaveholders, soldiers and civilians, common folk and the elite, Northerners and Southerners.
- From Quackery to Bacteriology: The Emergence of Modern Medicine in 19th Century America
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http://www.cl.utoledo.edu/canaday/quackery/quack-index.htmlBased on an exhibit at the University of Toledo Library, this website includes information about the evolution of medicine in the United States during the 19th century, and includes a section on medical practice during the Civil War.
- From Slavery to Freedom: The African-American Pamphlet Collection, 1822-1909
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http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aapchtml/aapchome.htmlSearch or browse this archive of 396 pamphlets from the Rare Book and Special Collections Division of the Library of Congress, published from 1822 through 1909, by African American authors and others who wrote about slavery, African colonization, Emancipation, Reconstruction and related topics.
- Gettysburg College: Civil War Institute
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http://www.gettysburg.edu/about/offices/provost/cwi/The Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College sponsors an annual conference and one non-fiction award, the Lincoln Prize, for Civil War history, and the Michael Shaara Prize for Civil War fiction.
- The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
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http://www.gilderlehrman.org/teachers/index.htmlExcellent website for teachers and students of American history in general, with links to primary sources, curriculum guides, online quizzes and other resources about the 19th century and the Civil War.
- The Lincoln Forum
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http://www.thelincolnforum.org/"To enhance the understanding and preserve the memory of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War"
- Mason-Dixon Line's Civil War Recipes
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http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Barracks/1369/recipes.htmlRecipes of the Civil War, including hard tack, johnnie cakes and recipes for medicines.
- National Geographic Online presents: The Underground Railroad
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http://www.nationalgeographic.com/railroad/An interactive game that gives a brief introduction to the Underground Railroad. You are a slave who has to decide if you will follow Harriet Tubman north to Canada, or remain in the South. With each segment of the journey, you decide.
- Nineteenth Century American Children & What They Read
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http://www.merrycoz.org/kids.htmCultural history. Children's literature from the 19th century, includes samples of articles and popular works, covers of magazines and descriptions of popular books and magazines. Created by Pat Pflieger.
- Portrait of Frederick Douglass
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http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/as/Portraits/douglass.htmlProduced by the American Studies program at Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire, United Kingdom, this website provides a biography, with links to the full text of many of his works.
- Uncle Tom's Cabin Historic Site
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http://www.uncletomscabin.org/The Reverend Josiah Henson, who escaped from slavery in 1830, helped to establish the Dawn Settlement outside Dresden, Ontario in 1841. He co-founded the British American School, a technological school for former slaves who had successfully arrived in Canada.
- The Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the American Civil War
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http://valley.vcdh.virginia.edu/The Valley Archive documents the lives of the men and women of Augusta County, Virginia and Franklin County, Pennsylvania from John Brown's raid to Reconstruction from a variety of sources, including letters, diaries, church and census records, newspapers and speeches. Produced by Edward L. Ayers of the University of Virginia.