This collection, skillfully edited by Michael P. Johnson, offers students the essential Lincoln in a brief and accessible format that makes this a must-assign edition for courses covering the antebellum period, slavery, and the Civil War. From famous documents like the Lincoln-Douglas debates and the second inaugural address to crucial memoranda and letters, it reveals the development of Lincoln's views on all the critical issues of the day, including free labor, antebellum politics and the Republican party, slavery, secession, the Civil War, and emancipation. Significantly streamlined for the second edition to a more student-friendly length, the volume retains its successful format: documents are organized thematically and chronologically, with editorial headnotes that provide just enough context for students to understand the significance of each selection. In addition to Johnson's widely praised biographical introduction, a chronology, maps and pictures, questions for consideration, selected bibliography, and a comprehensive index all enhance students' understanding of this crucial period — and this crucial figure — in U.S. history.