Mary Beth Smith releases new book on Lincoln

COCOA, Fla. - Nov. 21, 2016 - PRLog -- This is the second in a trilogy about the life of Abraham Lincoln titled Abraham Lincoln: Ascent to Power 1840-1860.  (1.99 Porkchop Publishing). It discusses the events that were happening in the country at the time: the Compromise of 1850, the abolitionists, the violence in Kansas, the raids by John Brown, the Dred Scott decision, the beating of Sumner, the rise of the Republican Party, the 1858 Senate race, the Lincoln-Douglas debates, the 1860 election and the causes of the Civl War. Ascent to Power follows the first book of the series, which deals with Lincoln from childhood until age thirty, Abraham Lincoln: The Formative Years.

Ascent to Power quotes the information that Lincoln's partner, William Herndon, collected from Lincoln's friends and associates to show how Lincoln dressed, walked, wrote speeches, conducted court cases and spoke. It also quotes neighbors who talked about his unusual marriage during which he was verbally and physically abused and explains the reason behind his wife's behavior. It gives the reader a clear picture of this homely, funny and logical thinking person who wrote great summations for the courtroom and great speeches as a politician.

It tells why he wrote in such a simple, yet poetic fashion. His poetic side came from his reading of the Bible, Shakespeare, and poetry. His prose was simple and logical because he had to first understand the material himself before he could explain it to the simple farmers of Illinois. Parts of his speeches such as the Peoria speech and the House Divided speech are included and explained. The chapter on the crisis of 1850 (Chapter 10 - Avoiding Civil War) includes parts of speeches of Clay, Webster and Calhoun.http://www.gernestsmith.com

The next volume in this series will concern Lincoln's presidency and the Civil War.