Politically-Motivated Lincoln References by Presidential Hopefuls Miss the Mark

PRINCE GEORGE, BC, CANADA, April 13, 2012 (Press-News.org) In the run-up to the 2012 American election there has been no shortage of references to the legacies of great presidents of the past. From President Obama, to primary hopefuls Romney and Gingrich, the voice and life of Abraham Lincoln is being resurrected by politicians on a near-weekly basis, in an effort to tie their campaigns to arguably the most revered president in American history. It's a tactic that researcher and author Paul Serup believes muddies the waters of history.

"Unfortunately a lot of the information - and even published biographies - out there miss the mark when it comes to looking at Lincoln's life and why, ultimately, he was killed. They paint the story of his life with far too broad a stroke, picking and choosing the elements of his policies and actions that serve to bolster whatever political ideology it is they happen to be supporting," says Serup, who recently published an exhaustive account of the events surrounding Abraham Lincoln's assassination entitled, Who Killed Abraham Lincoln? "It is especially pertinent as the anniversary of the sixteenth President's murder is again before us".

Serup is concerned about the habit politicians have of referencing historical figures without context and finds the spate of Lincoln references by American politicians to be opportunistic, "It's really unfortunate, because those biases really taint our understanding of the historical and political realities of the period. Politicians, especially those running for office, unfortunately don't tend to be the most accurate resources for information on historical figures - they inevitably rely on rhetoric surrounding the figures, rather than careful research to support their words."

Paul Serup's recently researched Who Killed Abraham Lincoln? is published by Salmova Press. It has been noted by historians for its meticulous research and is available at http://www.barnesandnoble.com . More information can be found at the website,http://www.salmovapress.com.

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