The Real Lincoln

A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War

By: Thomas J. Dilorenzo

Narrated by: Charles Constant

Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

Most Americans consider Abraham Lincoln to be the greatest president in history. His legend as the Great Emancipator has grown to mythic proportions as hundreds of books, a national holiday, and a monument in Washington, D.C., extol his heroism and martyrdom.

But what if most everything you knew about Lincoln were false? What if, instead of an American hero who sought to free the slaves, Lincoln were in fact a calculating politician who waged the bloodiest war in American history in order to build an empire that rivaled Great Britain's? In The Real Lincoln, author Thomas J. DiLorenzo uncovers a side of Lincoln not told in many history books and overshadowed by the immense Lincoln legend.

Through extensive research and meticulous documentation, DiLorenzo portrays the 16th president as a man who devoted his political career to revolutionizing the American form of government from one that was very limited in scope and highly decentralized - as the Founding Fathers intended - to a highly centralized, activist state. Standing in his way, however, was the South, with its independent states, its resistance to the national government, and its reliance on unfettered free trade.

©2003 Thomas J. DiLorenzo (P)2017 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A devastating critique of America's most famous president." (Joseph Sobran, commentator and nationally syndicated columnist)

TRUTH

Finally, TRUTH in the face of overwhelming evidence. Even as a kid I questioned the “greatness” & “purity” of Lincoln- he was just like any other man... corrupt, rotten to the core, & willing to slaughter more than half a million souls on a foundation of lies. He set the standard for the likes of Lenin, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, (insert ruthless dictator here), etc.

Must Read History Book

Great information on Lincoln and the way our nation was hijacked by Centralists during and after the Civil War. Especially enjoyed the last chapter, where the author defends, and explains his defenses. Highly recommend.

Fascinating

Loved it. The reader was a bit too monotone and I had trouble keeping the dates straight but the information and overall narrative completely changed how I look at history. What do we “know” (honest Abe being one thing that’s taught as truth) and what do we get propagandized. Fascinating listen, absolutely recommend.

A Libertarian View?

I found this writing to be a different perspective than I had read before. Full of references that seem to support this as one perspective to be aware of in understanding all viewpoints regarding the Lincoln legacy.

Tour de force!

Great read to understand the original intent of the foundation of USA....and the day it fell into the hands of authoritarians.

very interesting

I'm of the position of mind that, when confronted with irrefutable facts, reason, and/or logic that contradicts what I was taught, and thought was true, I have to give that provocative information the attention that it deserves. If upon further investigation and cross-referencing the information, it turns out to be true, then I must change my mind/position on the topic. This is regardless of how much I have invested in my original position. in fact, it's good when I'm proven wrong because this presents an opportunity to change course toward the truth, which is where my undeviating loyalty resides. That being said, it's so unbelievable to come to the realization that I was being relentlessly propogandised in my 13 years of the government indoctrination camps known as public schools. I've heard that history is written by the victors, but I never realized the degree of truth that statement held until I listened to this book. This book also made me take another look at the history of the unconstitutional ratification of the 14th amendment and the political climate and agenda behind it. Needless to say I feel like I've been Red-pilled. Before coming across this information I was in the camp that Lincoln was a great humanitarian who was a century ahead of his time. I thought he was an unbelievably altruistic leader that selflessly freed the slaves and was a martyr for this noble cause. I believed that the south selfishly and unethically wanted to keep their slaves, which pushed them into battle under the superficial veil of the vague concept of "states rights." Basically, I believed what I was taught in the government school system. However, after reading this book and conducting additional research verifying/unsuccessfully trying to disprove the facts within it, I have been forced to change my mind and position on the 16th president of the united States. now i realize that he power hungry, tyrannical dictator that trampled over the constitution and subverted the nation, suspended habius corpus, centralized power into the federal government, stole the sovereignty from the state's through gunpoint, and opened the door to political bribery, lobbying, and revolving doors between politicians and corporations that plagues our country and erodes our freedom today. Lincoln now represents the tyrant that won the second war of secession (the first being the revolutionary war with Britain), and started us down the path of slavery (income taxes/tariffs that cannot be opted out of) and inability to own property in America (property tax with penalty of seizure of property at gunpoint without compliance), as well as many other erosions of our liberties that we experience today.

Fantastic

Best history of Lincoln and the evolution of the modern centralized big government. Well researched and cited work on the other side of Lincoln other than the modern canonization character that is the Lincoln taught in government schools. Serious students of history and the modern state should read! Ok

This is the single best short history I have...

...ever read. Infallibly presented… Mostly through Lincoln‘s own words and acts...it is an astounding revelation. It may even be a superb indictment of a mythical figure (intent upon tyranny)who has thus far escaped a just trial in court of history. Whatever it may be Di Lorenzo’s book is a courageous monument of research, logic and scholarship. BRAVO!

wow

I knew going in that history has been historically written by the winners, this text opened my eyes to how bad it really is.

Excellent historical accuracy

Indisputable argumentation from primary resources on a falsely lionized tyrant who was so immoral he let his soldiers rape and pillage their own southern brethren in order to destroy the constitution.