Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Lincoln, Inc.: Selling the Sixteenth President
Selling Abraham Lincoln
An Outsider’s Perspective on Lincoln
Chapter 2: Mr. Lincoln’s Coattails: Marketing, Memorabilia, and
Presidential Tourism
Branding Lincoln
On the Road with Lincoln
An Outsider’s Perspective on Lincoln: Commodification, Simulation,
and Riding the Rail Splitter’s Coattails
Chapter 3: Packaging the President: Lincoln Biographies
“Among the Noblest of the Nation’s Treasures”: Themes in Lincoln
Biographies
Hogs, Books, and Indians: Anecdotes in Lincoln Biographies
The Quotes Maketh the Man: Lincoln in His Own Words
Lincoln Lovers and Lincoln Haters: Disputations in Lincoln
Biographies
An Outsider’s Perspective on Lincoln: Framing the Sixteenth
President
Chapter 4: Telling Fictions: Lincoln in Literature, Television, and
Film
From Sentimentality to Sensationalism: The Evolution of the
Fictional Lincoln
Lincoln in Biographical Fiction: The Sixteenth President as Boy
Scout
Lincoln in Period Suspense: The MacGuffin President
Lincoln in Contemporary Suspense: The Unimpeachable President
Lincoln in Romance Novels: The Pinup President
Lincoln in Science Fiction and Fantasy: The Great
Transmogrifier
An Outsider’s Perspective on Lincoln: Desire, Social Structure, and
the Cultural Production of Lincoln
Chapter 5: What Would Lincoln Do? The Sixteenth President in
Twenty-First-Century Politics
In Lincoln We Trust: Lincoln and Legitimacy
The Fight for Lincoln’s Soul
Emancipation Proclamations: Homosexuality and Abortion
Whitewashing Lincoln? The Great Emancipator in Racial Politics
An Outsider’s Perspective on Lincoln: Manufacturing Historical
Reputations
Chapter 6: A Is for Abe: Teaching Lincoln
Lessons in Lincoln
Picturing Abe: Lincoln in Children’s Picture Books
Nods to Diversity: The Lincoln Era in High School Textbooks
Silence Is Golden: What Lessons in Lincoln Leave Out
An Outsider’s Perspective on Lincoln: The Lincolnization of
American Children
Chapter 7: Lincoln under Glass: The Great Emancipator in American
Museums
On Curators and Curiosities
Exhibiting Lincoln
What Lies Beneath: Unifying Themes in Lincoln Exhibits
Saint Abe: The Veneration of Lincoln
Consuming Lincoln
An Outsider’s Perspective on Lincoln: Profiting from the Past
Chapter 8: Selling Lincoln: Who Do We Think We Are?
The Anti-Lincolns
The Barber, the Seamstress, and the Abolitionists: African
Americans in the Lincoln Narrative
Lessons from the Anti Lincolns: Who Do We (Not) Want to Be?
An Outsider’s Perspective on Lincoln: The Sixteenth President in
the “Imagined Community”
Coda: In Defense of Lincoln, Inc.
Bibliography
Index
About the Author
Jackie Hogan is chair of the Sociology Department at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois. She is the author of Gender, Race and National Identity: Nations of Flesh and Blood.
More books have been written about Abraham Lincoln than any other
president. Hogan (sociology, Bradley Univ.) adds an indispensable
addition to this vast realm. The author sampled biographies,
textbooks, children's books, films, museums, and historic sites
related to Lincoln to suggest that Lincoln the icon has come to
represent the nation as a whole, or what Americans wish to believe
about the nation. Lincoln especially embodies the American dream of
upward mobility and opportunity. His image changed over time from
the saintly, reverential portrayals of the early twentieth century
to later speculation about depression or homosexuality or his
marriage with Mary Todd Lincoln. Most sources praise Lincoln as the
Great Emancipator, savior of the Union, and advocate of racial
equality. They omit his statements about an innate difference
between the races that would forbid them from living together as
equals, statements favoring colonization of blacks out of the
country, or indulgence in 'darky' jokes. Hogan suggests Americans
ignore Lincoln's less than exemplary traits because they do not
want to see them in themselves. The sanitized Lincoln narrative
'offers affirmation of white nobility and absolution for racist
sins of the past.' Outstanding, balanced, and provocative. Summing
Up: Essential. All levels/libraries.
*CHOICE*
Hogan (sociology, Bradley Univ.; Gender, Race and National
Identity) considers the many ways Americans have used Abraham
Lincoln—from his death to the present—to purvey ideas, interests,
and all manner of goods. She argues that what we 'see' and present
in Lincoln really mirrors what we see and want for ourselves.
Because so many different people traded on and in the Lincoln image
and myths about him and because of the ambiguities inherent in the
Lincoln story, Lincoln became the American 'everyman,' which, Hogan
suggests, has the paradoxical effect of making him more important
as the embodiment of American identities and less valuable as a
historical figure. Lincoln is lost in the inventions and myths
Americans have made out of him, which they have then sold for
political, pedagogical, commercial, and ideological purposes.
VERDICT Hogan sometimes strains to fit the behavioral habits of
Lincoln users into sociological categories, but her overall tour of
Lincoln in our midst and on our minds shows how an invented
Lincoln, or any such symbol, can make a brand more important than
the real thing. May be of interest to historians of image-making or
of Lincoln and to students in American studies.
*Library Journal*
It's an accepted part of the American narrative that Abraham
Lincoln was a living embodiment of the American dream and one of
our greatest presidents. However, Hogan's (Gender, Race, and
National Identity) sociological study shows every generation
interprets Lincoln differently according to its own values, hopes,
and fears. Her exhaustive research demonstrates how American
opinions about Lincoln serve mostly to feed the current national
identity and the purposes of interest groups quoting him. She
analyzes memoir, fiction, Lincoln's place in education, and the
commercial use of his identity, especially in places he lived.
Moving deftly between extremely academic and very accessible
language, readers can engage with the text and thoughtfully
consider Hogan's perspective. Those curious about history and the
shared American cultural narrative will embrace Hogan's work and
look at cultural mythology with a more critical eye.
*Publishers Weekly*
Hogan is particularly good in her examination of how people have
marketed Lincoln over the years, how they've used Lincoln to market
themselves, and how Lincoln is often appropriated for modern
political purposes. . . . Hogan's insights are intelligent and
provocative. Her book should be especially valuable in
Springfield—unquestionably, the corporate headquarters of Lincoln,
Inc.
*The State Journal-Register*
Lincoln, above all other U.S. presidents—even George
Washington—continues to have an active afterlife in our popular
imagination. It's he who appeared in an episode of the original
Star Trek that centered on the conflict between good and evil. It's
he who is the subject of best-selling biographies, novels, and
analyses; and who is cited by both conservatives and liberals to
support their policies. Hogan surveys how Lincoln is 'sold'
(presented to the public) in seven different venues: merchandizing
($300 for the autograph of the son of Lincoln's druggist, $3.4
million for a signed Lincoln letter), packaging his reputation as
mythic, in fiction, for ideological spin, in education, as
represented in museums, and what our view of Lincoln tells us about
ourselves. This book isn't necessarily for Lincoln fans, as it's
not interested in the man himself so much as how he is perceived by
history. Specifically, Hogan is interested in how Lincoln is a
barometer of our shifting tastes and fascinations. The earliest
biographies, for instance, painted Lincoln as a flawless hero. Over
time the marble was chipped away to reveal a more conflicted man
and politician, and today's authors go so far as to speculate about
his mental state and sexual orientation. While this book is not
particularly academic in tone, Hogan makes excellent use of charts
to present how often certain themes, anecdotes, or individuals are
referenced in books about Lincoln, as well as the racial and gender
makeup of visitors to the various memorials.
*Author Magazine*
We see things not as they are but as we are, goes an old cliché
about history. In a new twist, sociologist Jackie Hogan proceeds to
learn about us by finding out how we have viewed Abraham Lincoln. I
learned about Lincoln in romance novels, children's books, even
science fiction—and had a good time in the process.
*James W. Loewen, author of Lies My Teacher Told Me and The
Confederate and Neo-Confederate Reader*
In this innovative evaluation of Abraham Lincoln as object, Jackie
Hogan parses the ways in which Americans have ‘seen’ Lincoln in
material culture, tourism, books and museums. Deeply researched and
well-conceptualized, Lincoln Inc.: The Selling of the Sixteenth
President in Contemporary America is a thoughtful addition to not
just our understanding of Lincoln, but more importantly our
contemporary political culture. In Hogan’s work the man for all
ages becomes a revealing mirror reflecting our age—our values and
aspirations, hopes and expectations. This book is of interest not
just to those who concentrate on Lincoln but to any American who
wants to appreciate the uses of the past to the present.
*Jean H. Baker, Goucher College, author of Mary Todd Lincoln: A
Biography*
Lincoln, Inc. is a lovely and clever book that explores the
manipulative uses of image-making and collective memory surrounding
Abraham Lincoln. Always accessible and at times quite humorous,
it’s a terrific read.
*David Grazian, University of Pennsylvania, author of Mix it Up:
Popular Culture, Mass Media, and Society*
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