About this episode
Dr. Lerone Bennett Jr. discusses his book 'Forced Into Glory' which presents a critical view of Abraham Lincoln's legacy.
Dr. Lerone Bennett Jr. was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, on October 17, 1928. He spent over 50 years with Johnson Publishing, ultimately became executive editor of its Ebony magazine. Bennett died at age 89 on February 14, 2018, in Chicago, his home base of many years. Dr. Bennett's mother worked as a maid, his father a chauffeur. Their son graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta. His Booknotes television appearance was on July 21, 2000. The book is titled "Forced Into Glory: Abraham Lincoln's White Dream." Bennett provided a different view of what is normally written about Mr. Lincoln. Lerone Bennett Jr. claimed that Lincoln was a racist at heart and had little interest in abolition. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
People in this episode
Guest: Lerone Bennett Jr.
Topics covered
- Lerone Bennett Jr.
- Abraham Lincoln
- racism
- history
- biography
- civil rights
Keywords
- Lerone Bennett Jr.
- Abraham Lincoln
- racism
- Ebony magazine
- Morehouse College
- history
- civil rights
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Johnson Publishing, Ebony, Morehouse College
Books & works: Forced Into Glory: Abraham Lincoln's White Dream
Places: Clarksdale, Mississippi, Chicago
More episodes of Booknotes+
- Lois Romano, "An Inconvenient Widow" · June 2, 2026 · 1h 9m
- Danny Funt, "Everybody Loses" · May 26, 2026 · 1h 28m
- Theo Baker, "How to Rule the World" · May 19, 2026 · 1h 10m
- Harvey Mansfield, "Where Harvard Went Wrong" · May 12, 2026 · 1h 8m
- Bruce Nichols, "The Emerson Circle" · May 5, 2026 · 1h 8m
- Craig Fehrman, "This Vast Enterprise" · April 28, 2026 · 1h 10m
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Booknotes+ podcast page.