The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln

When it comes to his new alternate history novel The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln, best selling author and Yale law professor Stephen Carter says readers shouldn't spend time looking for moral lessons. "This book is not a message book. It is not a history book. It's a thriller. It is a novel, not an argument. It was fun to write and I hope it will be fun to read," Carter says.

Appearing at Politics and Prose to discuss his latest work, Carter said the closest his  new book comes to a message is in its exploration of the question: what lines do you cross to do what you believe is the right thing?

Obviously, as the title suggests Lincoln survives the attempt to assassinate him. Two years later, Lincoln is brought up on impeachment charges, charges that although never leveled do have a basis in history.

In order to win the Civil War, Lincoln suspended the guaranteed right of habeas corpus and allowed dissenters to be imprisoned without judicial review. He refused to abide by court orders, saying "that's their opinion, I'm going to follow my opinion." He also stifled the rights of free speech, ordering opposition newspapers to be closed and reporters jailed.

"The president was very unpopular in his time, especially among members of his own party. Just months before he ran for re-election, they were looking to get him off the ticket and run somebody else." Carter said. Much of that criticism centered around Lincoln's handling of the war and his clear disregard for the documents of the founding fathers.  Lincoln justified his actions by saying that he had to take draconian measures to win the war and preserve the Union.

Despite the title, Lincoln only appears in 6 scenes of the novel., Carter said. However, he said the president was "the hardest to craft because I admired him so."  In fact, during the course of his extensive Lincoln research, Carter came to increase that admiration. "He was faced with decisions that were impossible," Carter said. "He really underwent a remarkable evolution of his views."

Much of the book centers around the story of  21-year-old Abagail Canner, a young black graduate of Oberlin College, who wants to become a practicing lawyer and finds herself drawn into the intrigue of Lincoln's impeachment proceedings.

Carter said he created Canner because he wanted to view the Washington D. C. of the 1860s through the eyes of someone who was the ultimate outsider. "There is the story of where she could go and where she couldn't go. For example, she couldn't go on the Senate floor, not because she was black but because she was a woman," Carter said.

As for the Washington D.C. setting, Carter said he "did a lot of work to get that right," pouring over documents, accounts, and photographs. People familiar with D. C. will see similarities and differences with the contemporary city.  For example, Georgetown, today one of the most affluent sections of D.C., definitely didn't have that reputation in the 1860s. "It was so dangerous the cops wouldn't even go there," Carter said. "Civilization stopped at about 19th Street."

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips

Carter signs Sarah's copy

Politics and Prose is one of the greatest independent book stores in America, sponsoring more than 450 free book talks from some of the country's greatest authors. Following the hour-long program which always includes questions and answers, the authors sign and personalize their works for anyone who has purchased them. Many, like Carter, appear to take a real interest in their readers, answering their questions and dispensing other information. While we were waiting for Carter to sign a copy of his book for my grandniece Sarah, we learned that Carter's next book of fiction will center around the 1960s Cuban Missile Crisis. We also learned that he had viewed the new movie Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer and, despite his initial misgivings, had enjoyed the film as entertainment.