Did you learn anything new about Lincoln in the book? Did your opinion of him change?

Did you learn anything new about Lincoln in the book? Did your opinion of him change at all as a result of reading The Lincoln Conspiracy?

The way that this book was written, I learned more about Lincoln's feelings of maybe anxiety, doubt, sense of humor, steadiness, etc. In other words, his human side. I'm not sure that any other thing that I've read about him even touched on those characteristics. It made me think differently about him in a good way, just not a famous President.

I learned about Lincoln the man. He was witty, thoughtful, trusting, caring, honest, unflappable. He also carried a heavy burden of grief, suffered from depression, was surrounded by death his whole life. Both his written speeches and his off the cuff remarks were inspiring, he spoke truth from his heart. Information travelled so slowly in the mid 1800’s I was surprised that he was elected when so few people had heard about him.

I feel like I learned more about his character and intelligence through this book. I did not know anything about the great losses in his life, so this especially intrigued me.

I learned a great deal about his early life and relationships that I hadn't gathered from other reading. When Lincoln visited his step-mother for the final time it reinforced the meager circumstances of his early life and the love he felt for those who cared for him. I also enjoyed reading about his enjoyment of playing handball in the alley and his friendships with people from all walks of life.

I learned more about Lincoln, the man, the husband, the father, the self-achiever, as opposed to what history books generally teach about him.

Many history books or biographies I have read have been more interested in dates, numbers, supportive characters, etc. The two authors do an excellent job keeping Lincoln the human, the man with fears, worries, deep thoughts, humor, loving gentleness front and center. He always had time for his sons, his law partner, the neighbors.

I gained a respectful sense of how Lincoln became President Lincoln by observing the nuances of his character. Observing him from the perspective of the 21st century, it seems to be largely forgotten how divided the country was at the time of his election, and the dangers of the extremists he had to maneuver around. I love how these authors strive to give us context and cultural perspective the time they are exploring - focusing on not only the subject of the writing but the how's and why's of it.

While I don’t feel I learned anything new about Lincoln, and my opinion of him has not been changed, I did learn many more details about the plot to assassinate him.

I learned more about the circumstances Lincoln’s impoverished childhood - the authors provided many details of which I was unaware.

Lincoln is one of my heroes. My opinion did not change.

I was in AP history and I'm amazed at how little I know about this stuff. I'm not sure if it's because teachers had so much to cover in a short period and so couldn't delve into the details, or if I simply don't remember. Regardless, there was a lot of history here I should have known.

My opinion of Lincoln did change. I'm so impressed with his accomplishments - much more so than I'd been. I also became aware of how burdened he was with responsibility. He accomplished great things, but he was actually a pretty tragic figure.

As I stated in another post, we went to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois this past summer. As I told my husband after we left the museum, "There absolutely has to be a Heaven, because the souls of people like Abraham Lincoln cannot just come to an end when they die." I firmly believe that God provides the men to handle crises when we need them. Abraham Lincoln was such a man. I certainly hope there are more on our country's horizon.

He literally stands the tallest when compared to other presidents. What impressed me the most was his courage in the face of so much adversity. He didn't have a great resume from highly respected northern universities, but he was so intelligent. The touching section when he visited his step mother brought tears to my eyes and showed me his humility. I have always loved his sense of humor in books I have read where he was quoted. If anything, my opinion of him has grown since reading this book.

I have read a lot of books about Lincoln, but I think this one did a good job of portraying how much leading the US weighed on Lincoln. There were also a couple of family deaths I didn't know about. The book didn't really change my opinion of Lincoln so much as it gave me some insight into the person he was.

I have a better appreciation of Lincoln’s personality: from his determination to educate himself, to his self-deprecating sense of humor, to his ability to quietly listen and weigh the points presented to him. I was especially touched by his sensitivity and love for his step mother whom he saw one last time right before his inauguration.

I learned more about the man not just his debates or his presidency, but his life. I always felt he was one our greatest presidents, but now more than ever gaining more insights into his life.

This book gave me great empathy for Lincoln. It is hard to imagine being in his shoes, wanting to unite the nation and do the right thing, while knowing that almost half of the country wants to see me dead. The book didn't change my opinion of Lincoln, but it gave me a broader perspective of what his world looked like at the time of his inauguration.