In his book "Forced into Glory : Abraham Lincoln's White Dream", Lerone Bennett claims that the glorification of Lincoln
by Americans is not totally justified. He claims that Lincoln himself was a racist. In making these statements, an overall study of the issue of racism vs.
slavery is discussed in a historical context. From the paper: "Lerone Bennett's book Forced into Glory : Abraham Lincoln's White Dream is designed to make any reader rethink all of her or his preconceptions about Lincoln. American schoolchildren are taught that Lincoln was the savior of our nation, a man so motivated by the highest of ideals in terms of both guaranteeing the continuing union of our states and ending slavery that he willingly put himself into deadly peril. Bennett suggests that this is not quite an accurate picture, and indeed in some measure he must be right. No one is
perfectly self sacrificing, no one perfectly good, no one perfectly wise. Lincoln was flawed as any great man. He was not, however, perhaps as flawed as Bennett makes him out to be."