Book Review: Lucas Morel, Lincoln and the American Founding
by Burrus M. CarnahanLucas Morel, Lincoln and the American Founding Reviewed by Burrus M. Carnahan In the fall of 2020, Professor Lucas Morel of Washington and Lee University spoke at the University of Colorado on “The 1619 Project as Missed Opportunity.” His point was that Nicole Hannah-Jones depicted American history as a racial zero-sum game – that any […]
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The Nature of War: An Interview with Burrus M. Carnahan
by Burrus M. CarnahanThe Nature of War: An Interview with Burrus M. Carnahan Sara Gabbard: A friend told me that a college professor once told the class that money is the only real cause of war throughout history. Do you agree? Burrus Carnahan: No. For one thing, war is much older than money. In Western civilization, money, in […]
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Book Review: The Calculus of Violence by Aaron Sheehan-Dean
by Burrus M. CarnahanSheehan-Dean, The Calculus of Violence: How Americans Fought the Civil War For decades, historians have debated whether the American Civil War was the first modern, total war, foreshadowing the World Wars of the 20th Century, or whether it was more akin to the limited wars of the 18th Century. In his thorough study, The […]
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Book Review: “Abraham Lincoln: Philosopher President”
by Burrus M. CarnahanJoseph R. Fornieri, (Carbondale, Southern Illinois University Press, 2014). In the preface to Abraham Lincoln: Philosopher President, Joseph Fornieri recounts President Lincoln’s response to a group of serenaders after his 1864 reelection. Recalling the events of the bitter, divisive campaign, the president reflected that human nature did not change. “In any future great national […]
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An Interview with Burrus M. Carnahan
by Burrus M. CarnahanAn Interview with Burrus M. Carnahan regarding His Book Act of Justice: Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation and the Law of War (University Press of Kentucky, 2007) By Sara Gabbard Sara Gabbard: Much has been written about the Emancipation Proclamation and Lincoln’s decision to issue it. How is your book different and what does it add? Burrus […]
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Lincoln’s Clemency: The Policy Limits
by Burrus M. CarnahanAbraham Lincoln has a well-deserved reputation as a merciful man who liberally exercised his presidential pardoning power. John Hay was “amused at the eagerness with which the President caught at any fact which would justify him in saving the life” of a condemned man.[1] Judge Advocate General Joseph Holt, his chief advisor on military trials, […]
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