From Abraham To America

Abraham creates a portrait of a young, crumbling marriage. It is alternately sad and compelling.'

Silverman's new book is a comprehensive overview of Jewish circumcision throughout history. Beginning with Genesis, the author traces paradoxes and tensions in biblical-Jewish circumcision as seen both within Judaism and from the dominant, non-Jewish culture, and ends with the current debate over Jewish and routine medical circumcision in America. This book is essential reading in Jewish studies, medical sociology, and Judaic studies/theology.

In this beautifully designed volume, America's top Lincoln historians offer a diverse array of perspectives on the life and legacy of America's sixteenth president. Spanning Lincoln's life -- from his early career as a Springfield lawyer, to his presidential reign during one of America's most troubled historical periods, to his assassination in 1865 -- these essays, developed from original C-SPAN interviews, provide a compelling, composite portrait of Lincoln, one that offers up new stories and fresh insights on a defining leader. Extras include a timeline of Lincoln's life, brief biographies of the 56 contributors, and Lincoln's most famous speeches.

The electrifying story of Abraham Lincoln's rise to greatness during the most perilous year in our nation's history As 1862 dawned, the American republic was at death's door. The federal government appeared overwhelmed, the U.S. Treasury was broke, and the Union's top general was gravely ill. The Confederacy—with its booming economy, expert military leadership, and commanding position on the battlefield—had a clear view to victory. To a remarkable extent, the survival of the country depended on the judgment, cunning, and resilience of the unschooled frontier lawyer who had recently been elected president. Twelve months later, the Civil War had become a cataclysm but the tide had turned. The Union generals who would win the war had at last emerged, and the Confederate Army had suffered the key losses that would lead to its doom. The blueprint of modern America—an expanding colossus of industrial and financial might—had been indelibly inked. And the man who brought the nation through its darkest hour, Abraham Lincoln, had been forged into a singular leader. In Rise to Greatness, acclaimed author David Von Drehle has created both a deeply human portrait of America's greatest president and a rich, dramatic narrative about our most fateful year.

This biography for young readers examines the life of the sixteenth U.S. president and the constitutional issues that arose during his administration. Praise by many as America’s greatest president, Abraham Lincoln guided the country through the Civil War and was the Great Emancipator who freed the enslaved and paved the way for the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments. Lincoln was denounced by others as a tyrant who trampled the Constitution, denied individual liberty, and failed to avert the war that left more than six hundred thousand American soldiers dead. Born in a cabin deep in the backwoods of Kentucky, growing up in a family considered “the poorest of the poor,” Lincoln rose to become a highly respected lawyer and stateman. He often used different arguments with different people depending on the needs of the moment, leading one exasperated opponent to call him two-faced, and leaving others to marvel at his effectiveness as a politician and leader. A practical statesman and not an idealist, Abraham Lincoln knew he could not accomplish all he set out to do, but he remained alert for opportunities to achieve his long-desired objective of liberty and justice for all. The book includes selections of Lincoln’s writing, a bibliography, and an index. “This concise and balanced narrative encapsulates the life and legacy of one of the country’s most important leaders. . . . A solid addition for understanding America’s story.” —Kirkus Reviews “The author adroitly reviews the facts of Lincoln's entire life, divided into 16 chapters, and examines his emergence as a politician and his views on slavery.” —School Library Journal

An enlightening narrative exploring an oft-overlooked aspect of the sixteenth president's life, An American Marriage reveals the tragic story of Abraham Lincoln’s marriage to Mary Todd. Abraham Lincoln was apparently one of those men who regarded “connubial bliss” as an untenable fantasy. During the Civil War, he pardoned a Union soldier who had deserted the army to return home to wed his sweetheart. As the president signed a document sparing the soldier's life, Lincoln said: “I want to punish the young man—probably in less than a year he will wish I had withheld the pardon.” Based on thirty years of research, An American Marriage describes and analyzes why Lincoln had good reason to regret his marriage to Mary Todd. This revealing narrative shows that, as First Lady, Mary Lincoln accepted bribes and kickbacks, sold permits and pardons, engaged in extortion, and peddled influence. The reader comes to learn that Lincoln wed Mary Todd because, in all likelihood, she seduced him and then insisted that he protect her honor. Perhaps surprisingly, the 5’2” Mrs. Lincoln often physically abused her 6’4” husband, as well as her children and servants; she humiliated her husband in public; she caused him, as president, to fear that she would disgrace him publicly. Unlike her husband, she was not profoundly opposed to slavery and hardly qualifies as the “ardent abolitionist” that some historians have portrayed. While she providid a useful stimulus to his ambition, she often “crushed his spirit,” as his law partner put it. In the end, Lincoln may not have had as successful a presidency as he did—where he showed a preternatural ability to deal with difficult people—if he had not had so much practice at home.

In Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America, historian William Gienapp provides a remarkably concise, up-to-date, and vibrant biography of the most revered figure in United States history. While the heart of the book focuses on the Civil War, Gienapp begins with a finely etched portrait of Lincoln's early life, from pioneer farm boy to politician and lawyer in Springfield, to his stunning election as sixteenth president of the United States. Students will see how Lincoln grew during his years in office, how he developed a keen aptitude for military strategy and displayed enormous skill in dealing with his generals, and how his war strategy evolved from a desire to preserve the Union to emancipation and total war. Gienapp shows how Lincoln's early years influenced his skills as commander-in-chief and demonstrates that, throughout the stresses of the war years, Lincoln's basic character shone through: his good will and fundamental decency, his remarkable self-confidence matched with genuine humility, his immunity to the passions and hatreds the war spawned, his extraordinary patience, and his timeless devotion. A former backwoodsman and country lawyer, Abraham Lincoln rose to become one of our greatest presidents. This biography offers a vivid account of Lincoln's dramatic ascension to the pinnacle of American history.

In the early 1900's there was a subject that was heavily debated known as "British Israelism" and the result was that many concluded America is a part of God's chosen people. There are some hard-to-understand scriptures, that when put into context with secular history, show that the Caucasian peoples of America and Britain were descended from Abraham's great-grandsons, Manasseh and Ephraim. The reason most prophecy teachers cannot find America in the Bible is because they fail to realize that some of the scriptures that are addressed to the Northern kingdom of Israel are speaking directly to us. The Northern kingdom of Israel, also known as Joseph, Ephraim, or Samaria (their capital city) is mentioned many times in prophecy and we often think the prophecies are referring to the Jews at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea. The first thing we must get straight and never forget is that there are still two kingdoms: Judah was in Jerusalem and Israel was in Samaria, and they will be divided until Jesus comes back. Therefore, when we study the prophecy scriptures, we have to keep in mind that there are verses that apply to the Jews and others that refer to the "lost ten tribes of Israel". The books that were written around 1900 are amazing, especially when we consider that the new country of "Israel" was not born until 1948! We will begin and look at the scriptures as they apply to the chronological order of historical facts. God made promises and covenants with Abraham and his descendants and we must ask ourselves if those promises were kept or did God default on some of them? We will explore some scriptures that make no sense except that they have become fulfilled prophecy relating to Israel in her hidden state. She is not hidden from God, but is "out of sight", so that she is no longer an embarrassment to God. Fulfilled prophecy is proof that God's word, the Bible, is true. ..