Leader and Wise Man

And There Was Light: 

Abraham Lincoln 

and the American Struggle 

by Jon Meacham

“Once, when a Republican congressman from Massachusetts accused Lincoln of having changed his mind, Lincoln replied, “Yes, I have; and I don’t think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday."  ― Jon Meacham, And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle





The focus of the book is Lincoln's political and personal development, from a practical politician who at first supported union over abolition to a leader who issued the Emancipation Proclamation and struggled with slavery, America's original sin. Meacham frames Lincoln as a flawed yet profoundly moral figure, shaped by his faith, reason, and the turbulent times. Meacham uses Lincoln's own words—from letters, speeches, and lesser-known works—to weave together a larger story about democracy and human dignity while highlighting significant events like the Gettysburg Address and the Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1858.

The book impressed me with its depth and readability. Meacham's elegant and approachable prose gives difficult historical and moral issues a sense of urgency and relatability. He connects Lincoln’s struggles to modern debates about race, justice, and leadership, a hallmark of his style that some find insightful and others occasionally heavy-handed. The book doesn’t shy away from Lincoln’s contradictions—his early ambivalence about immediate abolition and his support for colonizing freed Black Americans abroad—offering a nuanced view that avoids hagiography.