In this collection based on papers given at the Fourth Biennial Woodrow Wilson National Symposium held by the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library in September 2006 in Staunton, Virginia, Cooper (American institutions, U. of Wisconsin-Madison) and Knock (history, Southern Methodist U.) draw together nine essays that explore how race shaped the lives, thought, and actions of three US presidents: Lincoln, Jefferson, and Wilson. A group of history scholars from the US discuss Jefferson's antislavery views and management of slaves; Lincoln's interactions with slavery and African Americans from his youth through the Civil War, the abandonment of his idea of colonization, and the uses and misuses of his legacy; and Wilson's thoughts and indifference to race during the period of apartheid, including his strained relations with African American leaders like W.E.B. DuBois and the racial impact of his Fourteen Points. Annotation 2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
