Mourning Lincoln

In this "highly original, lucidly written book" (James M. McPherson), historian Martha Hodes offers the first comprehensive look at how everyday Americans *privately* reacted to Abraham Lincoln's assassination on April 15, 1865. While public grief was widely chronicled, Hodes delves into a nation astounded and conflicted, exploring the intimate responses of northerners and southerners, soldiers and civilians, Black and white, men and women, rich and poor. Drawing on diaries, letters, and other personal writings from the spring and summer of 1865, Hodes uncovers a wide spectrum of emotions: shock, glee, sorrow, anger, blame, and fear—far more varied than public expressions suggested. Longlisted for the National Book Award, *Mourning Lincoln* brings to life a critical moment of national uncertainty, revealing irreconcilable visions for America's future and the slipping hopes for racial justice post-Civil War. Hodes masterfully explores this tragedy in profound human terms.

Archival Categorization Notes

This literature has been indexed under the primary pillar of American Civil War. It was manually vetted for the Read For Truth database because it provides educational insights into Causes & Aftermath, assisting researchers in locating established secondary research within this specific taxonomy.