Louis P. Masur uses Abraham Lincoln's final public address in April 1865 to trace the debate over reconstruction policies from the earliest days of the Civil War.

• Prologue: "Gladness of Heart "


• Chapter 1: "A Large Share of Thought From the First "


• Chapter 2: "Proper, Practical Relation "


• Chapter 3: "A Pernicious Abstraction "


• Chapter 4: "A Plan of Re-construction "


• Chapter 5: "We, the Loyal People, Differ "


• Chapter 6: "Fraught With Difficulty "


• Chapter 7: "A Righteous and Speedy Peace "


• Chapter 8: "The Egg is to the Fowl "


• Afterword: "The Present 'Situation' "

Louis Masur is Distinguished Professor of American Studies and History at Rutgers University. He is the author of many books, including, most recently, The Civil War: A Concise History and Lincoln's Hundred Days: The Emancipation Proclamation and the War for the Union.