It goes without saying that Abraham Lincoln was one of America’s greatest presidents. The strengths he brought to the job included intelligence, inspired leadership, unmatched rhetorical power, and a steady hand in dire times. No political leader is perfect, of course. Lincoln made mistakes during his astonishing journey from a small log cabin near Hodgenville, Kentucky, to the White House. But his quest and determination to ensure that people from all walks of life had freedom, liberty, and the ability to pursue the American dream remains a constant source of inspiration and admiration.

“Generations have looked up to him as the man who not only preserved the Union,” another great president, Ronald Reagan, said on Lincoln Day on Feb. 12, 1984, “but helped us realize that true democracy is an evolving process.” Today, with various groups fighting over how to “strengthen democracy” or claiming that “democracy is on the ballot,” even as they cheapen the common understanding of what the word even means, it is more important than ever to look to history to understand this political concept. And here, the insights of the wise, self-educated, small-town Illinois lawyer about democracy can serve as a crucial guide. In his new book, Our Ancient Faith: Lincoln, Democracy, and the American Experiment, Allen C. Guelzo shines a new light on Lincoln’s powerful vision for true democracy.