The Real Lincoln

Author Tom DiLorenzo talked about his book The Real Lincoln, published by Prima Publishing. The book takes a critical look at Lincoln and his policies. Professor DiLorenzo argues that Lincoln favored a large centralized government and supported the increase of already high protectionist tariffs. He suggests that these tariffs, because they created a heavy and unfair burden on the South, were a major cause for the South’s secession. He also argues against the idea that emancipation was Lincoln’s prime reason for going to war, noting that it would have been possible to achieve emancipation through peaceful means (as the British had already done prior to 1860) and that Lincoln did not have a strong enough opinion of blacks to support the theory. Professor DiLorenzo answered questions following his remarks. close