Abraham Lincoln in European Popular Culture

This article argues that Lincoln is not a universal hero, but rather an indigenous, U.S., ethnocentric one. Lincoln has generally been absent as a model in European social and public life, rarely emphasized as an essential part of education or in the public forum. Among the reasons given for this difference are inaccurate references to his ecumenical qualities and the often negative attitude in Europe towards a U.S. popular taste culture which is an expression of values, a vital, half-wild, half-tame, communal expression of ‘We, the People of the United States.’ Especially in the 20th century, U.S. popular culture and popular icons have often been regarded in Europe as an expression of lowbrow entertainment. But in the U.S., ‘popular’ is much closer to ‘grassroots’ in the full, Whitmanesque meaning of the term. Some things don’t translate.