Historical Narrative

Wednesday January 25, 2012

    Today was my turn to present!  I was presenting on chapters 7 and 8 of Daniel Farber’s book (Lincoln’s Constitution).  These last two chapters of the book were, in my opinion, the most interesting.  Chapter 7 was about individual rights and chapter 8 was on “the rule of law in dark times.”  When looking back on my prior education about Lincoln, many teachers only paint the glorified picture of Lincoln - freeing the slaves, ending the Civil War, things like that.  It reminds me of Christopher Columbus…the younger generations are taught that he was such a glorious explorer, when really he killed many people (non-intentionally) and he was not even the first person to discover America (the Vikings did that way before Columbus did!). 
    Anyway, Lincoln actually did some things that are still heavily debated about today, such as oppressing some main civil liberties.  Lincoln said that because the country was in a state of emergency (the Civil War), he had the authority to do some things that he would have never gotten away with in other times.  Not only did Lincoln put restrictions on the First Amendment by controlling the freedom of speech and press, he also instituted martial law.  Martial law is when the military is in control instead of the local governments.  It was interesting to read that many northern states were in favor of this act.  Martial law was beneficial to the northern states because it offered more protection and got towns ready for battle.  The southern states, however, were not as happy with the situation.  Under martial law in the south local governments were forced to step down, strict punishments were put in place, and civilians felt that they were loosing their individual rights.
    Lincoln also took advantage of property rights during his time.  The Union Army destroyed crops and buildings in the south while fighting the war.  Though Lincoln was not actually there when this destruction took place, many people blamed him because he was the commander-in-chief and needed to have more control over his troops.  By announcing the Emancipation Proclamation more property rights were being violated.  The southerners viewed slaves as property: they bought the slaves, fed them, and took “care” of them.  So when Lincoln announced that all slaves in rebel areas were free the southerners took great offence to it (as one could imagine).
    Now for chapter 8... “the rule of law in dark times”  The title of this chapter automatically shows that law can be different when times are bad.  Lincoln actually used this argument for many of the things he did while in office during the war.  One thing that really stood out to me was his “All the laws but one” speech.  He basically stated that in order to keep the country together, some laws needed to be overlooked for the time being.  He said that he was not going to disregard all the laws, just to follow one.  I actually agree with Lincoln’s justification, especially when he restricted habeas corpus.  Lincoln was in a position where the government was not cooperating and the country was falling apart, so he did everything in his power (and some things not in his power, according to the Constitution) to try and keep the country together.  If this means disregarding some laws, then yes, it should be done.
    Butters’ topic for the day was writing narrative history.  This is my favorite type of history because the book does not just list events in order, it actually tells a story or account of the times.  History textbooks (like those in high school) are not that interesting because they do not tell stories, just list the facts and definitions.  Narrative history stories make the past come to life and are more engaging.  The Farber book is definitely not like this.  Each chapter is about a different topic and it does not tell a story, just lists the issues, how Lincoln felt about them, and what he did (not that interesting).  A really great example of narrative history is the Dear America series of books!  I used to read them when I was younger, which helped strengthen my love for history.  The series is actually independent books by different authors, but they are all written in the same format.  The books are diaries or journals from guys and girls throughout the years.  Each book deals with a specific historical event like the Titanic, WWI, WWII, the attack on Pearl Harbor, Trail of Tears, the journey on the Mayflower, and many, many more!  Even though these books are fiction, they still use real information and have a “Historical Note” section at the end that gives real facts. 
    Butters also talked about things that need to be considered when starting to write.  He has written several books and definitely has a handle on where to start and the best process for beginning to write.  Outlining is very important because it helps gather all your thoughts together and it makes sure you stay on track with your writing and don’t leave anything out.  It is actually easy to write about your experiences in the third person (no using “I” or “me”).  Every good narrative has a strong driving force - the plot.  If the plot is not interesting the story can easily fail (especially because everything in the story is based around the plot!).
    In my opinion, Daniel Farber’s book was not that interesting.  Well, there were parts that were interesting, but he did not connect the chapters together very well.  His book is definitely not written in narrative format and would be well suited for someone who is specifically studying the topic at a masters or doctorate level.  I can read very well and I found myself going back and re-reading a lot of things because they did not make sense to me!  Overall, I learned things from it, but I would not recommend this book or read it again just for fun.