I’ve received many thousands of emails in response to my book and articles on Lincoln. One of the most astute letters I’ve received so far came recently from Larry T. in California: “What interests me most is the amazing Lincoln cult itself, in which our most ruthless politician has become a saint, a christ, and finally a god. I don’t know if anyone has ever analyzed this cult in detail, but it begs comparison with the leader cults of the 20th century. The ersatz piety and sanctimoniousness has the obvious function of draping Lincoln’s unprecedented abuses of power, but there … Continue reading Astute Commentary on the Lincoln Cult