The Case of Abraham Lincoln: A Story of Adultery, Murder, and the Making of a Great President

Front Cover
Palgrave Macmillan, Nov 13, 2007 - Biography & Autobiography - 255 pages

The year 1856 was a pivotal one for this country, witnessing the birth of the Republican Party as we know it. But it was also a critical year in the troubled political life of Abraham Lincoln. As a lawyer, he tried his most scandalous murder case. At the same time, he made a decision which unleashed his soaring abilities for the first time, a decision which reverberates to this day: whether or not to join the new Republican Party. The Case of Abraham Lincoln offers the first-ever account of the suspenseful Anderson Murder Case, and Lincoln’s role in it. Bestselling historian Fenster not only examines the case that changed Lincoln’s fate, but portrays his day-to-day life as a circuit lawyer and how it shaped him as a politician. In a book that draws a picture of Lincoln in court and at home during that memorable season of 1856, Fenster also offers a close-up look at Lincoln’s political work, much of it masterful, some of it adventurous, in building the party that would change his fate – and that of the nation.

About the author (2007)

Julie M. Fenster is the co-author (with Douglas Brinkley) of "The New York Times" bestseller "Parish Priest." Her books include the award-winning "Ether Day "and "Race of the Century." A regular contributor to "American Heritage," Fenster has also written for "The New York Times "and the "Los Angeles Times. "She lives in Syracuse, New York.