In a first section the article examines the way generations of biographers have defined Lincoln in terms of an enigma, including on the topic of revolution, which makes the research question interesting both for biographical studies and US history. A second, central section, examines the question of Lincoln’s involvement in the revolution that was emancipation through the debates among biographers and offer what is hoped is a valuable addition to this conversation by introducing two concepts that have not been extensively used in that field yet, the notion of the American Jeremiad and the subjective perception of one’s role in history. A much shorter third section, in the shape of a conclusion opening on other research questions, deals briefly with the larger issues raised by Lincoln’s involvement in both the transportation revolution and the revolutionizing of technologies, that is in the workings of capitalism, and suggest an explanation for one of the motivations of writers and readers of biographies.