If you think about it, the historian's task is like that of the detective. David Herbert Donald detectivehistoriantask Change image and share on social
At the beginning, Lincoln was so inexperienced he had reverence for military expertise, not realizing that there wasn't any military expertise, that the most anybody had commanded up to that point had been somebody, some troops in the Mexican War, and it had been years ago. David Herbert Donald agobegincommand share on social
In Lincoln's day a President's religion was a very private affair. There were no public prayer meetings, no attempts to woo the Religious Right. Few of Lincoln's countrymen knew anything at all of his religious beliefs. David Herbert Donald affairattemptbelief share on social
But having said all of that, that still doesn't account for a lot of the increase in popularity which stems, I think, from Lincoln's personal characteristics. David Herbert Donald accountcharacteristicincrease Change image and share on social
But I have tried to go over it very carefully, not merely what the evidence is, but with psychoanalysts and psychologists, and I think we're just about all agreed that Lincoln and Speed did not have a homosexual relationship. David Herbert Donald agreecarefullyevidence share on social
Maybe I will write a memoir, perhaps I'll do some essays, or maybe I will write a mystery story. David Herbert Donald essaymemoirmystery Change image and share on social
I was able to sit at Lincoln's side and see how he thought and how he acted, and how he felt about what was going on around him. I felt the pressures that were on him. You can see what people were writing to him, how they were nudging him. David Herbert Donald actfeltlincoln share on social
The big biography of Lincoln necessarily had to do so much with his political career, his ambitions, his accomplishments in public, with less time to spend on his private life, his inner life, and I thought this might be a way of getting at that. David Herbert Donald accomplishmentambitionbig share on social
I think, with the gay liberation movement has had need for heroes and heroines, and it would be rather nice to have Abraham Lincoln as your poster boy, wouldn't it? David Herbert Donald abrahamboygay Change image and share on social
And, finally, Lincoln was not a good impromptu speaker; he was at his best when he could read from a carefully prepared manuscript. Though maybe a teleprompter could have helped that! David Herbert Donald carefullyfinallygood Change image and share on social
