D. Leigh Henson, author of Lincoln’s Rise to Eloquence: How He Gained the Presidential Nomination, answers questions on his new book.

Q: Why did you decide to write this book? 

I wrote Lincoln’s Rise to Eloquence to make the case that Lincoln’s compositions—speeches and other writings—were a crucial factor in his political advancement that culminated with his 1860 presidential nomination and the presidency. None of the other 16,000+ Lincoln books had undertaken anything close to such a purpose. The book’s central argument is that over time Lincoln developed a powerful and ethical rhetoric, gaining credibility and political capital by deploying rational and emotional appeals through historical, legalistic, and moral argumentation, while sometimes using demagogic and satirical methods.  

With a background in literature, language, and rhetoric, I systematically discuss thirty-one of Lincoln’s main compositions and numerous lesser ones that document his rhetorical/political growth. Typically, I preface the discussion of a composition by citing limitations in other treatments, thus establishing the need for fresh analysis and critical commentary. My analyses examine a composition’s political/rhetorical purposes; sources of influence; structure; methods of argumentation; appeals to reason, emotion, and credibility; and language. These analyses are thorough and specific, as observed by an anonymous peer reviewer: this book is “substantial, coherent, and in-depth”; it is “well- structured, well-reasoned, highly readable, and supported by the relevant evidence.” Another peer reviewer writes, “I commend the author for his attention to detail.” In effect, Lincoln’s Rise to Eloquence is the first rhetorical biography of his prepresidential public life.  

Q: What is the most interesting discovery you made while researching and writing your book? 

The most significant discovery I made in working on this book is that from the beginning of his political life, Lincoln indirectly or directly infused his compositions with moral suasion. First in the 1830s and then in the 1850s, Lincoln coped with the demagogic rhetoric of Stephen A. Douglas, and during that time Lincoln’s moral compass caused him not only considerable frustration but also sometimes inner conflict. Lincoln first boldly called out Douglas for lying about matters of public policy when they served in the Illinois state legislature in the 1830s. In an 1838 lecture, Lincoln also accused Douglas of excessive ambition. In his 1854 Peoria speech, Lincoln again voiced frustration with Douglas’s lies. During the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates, Lincoln was confounded by Douglas’s lies and challenged by his moral ambivalence toward slavery and race baiting. In those debates, Lincoln expressed regret for feeling he had to respond in kind to Douglas’s personal attacks. In his 1859 Cincinnati speech, Lincoln’s moral compass and literary writing ability enabled him to deliver an extended satire of Douglas as a proponent of popular sovereignty. In fact, another important discovery I made is that throughout Lincoln’s prepresidential public life, he used satire as a political weapon.   

Q: What myths do you hope your book will dispel or what do you hope your book will help readers unlearn? 

Unlike Lincoln specialists, members of the general public and students with limited reading about him may have misconceptions about his public discourse. Lincoln’s Rise to Eloquence shows that his political rhetoric encompassed more than stemwinder speeches: typically his political compositions are genre hybrids. The book dispels the misconception that jokes and stories characterized his main political speeches. Lincoln often laced his political speeches with humor, and it typically took the form of satire, sometimes personal and always targeting an opponent’s positions and policies.  

Q: Which part of the publishing process did you find the most interesting? 

The role of peer reviews was the most intriguing aspect of this project. My acquisitions editor, Alison Syring Bassford, obtained peer reviewers who challenged me to rethink, revise, and refine in ways I could never have imagined. The production process has also been quite interesting and rewarding. I am grateful for the professionalism of the UIP’s staff and contractors. At every step, they invited my participation, and their communication was timely and courteous.     

Q: What is your advice to scholars/authors who want to take on a similar project.  

Anyone who thinks they have an original idea on a Lincoln-related subject significant enough for a new book would do well to test that notion by submitting an article on some aspect of it to an appropriate, refereed journal.    

Q: What do you like to read for fun? 

In retirement from two teaching careers, I have enjoyed leisure-time reading mostly related to my professional life: articles and books about Illinois’s literary, social/cultural, and political history, beginning with publications related to Abraham Lincoln’s first namesake town—Lincoln, Illinois (est. 1853), also my hometown. That reading led to my interest in writing for publication about native Lincolnite authors (especially William Maxwell, the celebrated fiction editor of The New Yorker), the Abraham Lincoln history and heritage of my hometown, and his compositions.  

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