The Lincoln tree -- Child of the frontier -- Foundations of presidential character -- The powers of nature -- The school of events -- Turmoil and sensations -- Law and culture -- Economy and politics -- Antislavery emergence -- The isms and the woolly horse -- The Springfield family -- The house divided and the Lincoln-Douglas debates -- Blondin, Barnum, and B'hoys -- Challenging session -- The higher laws of war -- The Lincoln White House -- "O Captain!" -- Commander in chief -- Forging cultural unity -- Politics, race, and the culture wars -- Democratic eloquence -- Union, tragedy, and legacy

"ABE is a cultural biography of Abraham Lincoln, following Lincoln's monumental life from cradle to grave while weaving a narrative that includes Lincoln's cultural influences and the nation-wide and regional cultural trends and moods and happenings of his day, and how Lincoln both shaped and was shaped by his America. The music, humor, literature, and fashions of the time and their impact on Lincoln's life are explored as well, and analysis of other important figures such as Lincoln's wife, his assassin, his professional partners, etc., also draw on this culturally focused style"--