David S. Reynolds

David S. Reynolds is a literary critic and historian who has written fifteen books about American history, literature and culture. These include Abe: Abraham Lincoln in His Times, John Brown, Abolitionist, Walt Whitman's America: A Cultural Biography, Waking Giant: America in the Age of Jackson and Mightier than the Sword: Uncle Tom's Cabin and the Battle for America.

Mr. Reynolds is the winner of the Bancroft Prize, the Christian Gauss Award, the Ambassador Book Award, the Gustavus Myers Outstanding Book Award, John Hope Franklin Prize (Honorable Mention) and finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.

Articles by

David

Reynolds

Articles by this Author

Lincoln Walks a Tightrope, Spring 2022 | Vol. 67, No. 2

The unique political genius of Abraham Lincoln was to navigate carefully and at times conservatively between abolition and the Southern cause until he knew the time was right for radical justice.

Lincoln Warned About Mobs and Demagogues, February/March 2021 | Vol. 66, No. 2

Lincoln and Presidential Character, October 2020 | Vol. 65, No. 6

Abraham Lincoln learned much of what made him a great president — honesty, sincerity, toughness, and humility — from his early reading and from studying the lives of Washington and Franklin.

Andrew Jackson Reinvents American Democracy, Winter 2020 | Vol. 64, No. 1

Jackson had deep flaws, but he left a lasting legacy, strengthening the executive office and striving to represent as many Americans as possible.

Harriett Beecher Stowe and Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Winter 2020 | Vol. 64, No. 1

Her novel helped to end slavery and proved that Lincoln was right when he said, “Whoever can change public opinion can change the government.”

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