Lincoln’s Last Speech: Wartime Reconstruction and the Crisis of Reunion

Delivered just days before his assassination, Lincoln’s final speech was not a rousing victory celebration, but rather a sober plan for political reconstruction in the wake of the Civil War. Lincoln’s Last Speech: Wartime Reconstruction and the Crisis of Reunion investigates Lincoln’s hopes for post-war America and his vision for reconstruction, which was far different from what emerged in the tumultuous years following his death. Louis P. Masur *85 is a professor of history and American studies at Rutgers University.