The Purpose of Lincoln's Humor

According to Keith W. Jennison, author of "The Humorous Mr. Lincoln:" "Mr. Lincoln's use of humor changed.

“During the wilderness years he told jokes and stories without trying to prove anything at all; he told them simply because it was natural for him to do so. After he became a lawyer he found that his wit and his acute sense of the ridiculous were effective courtroom tools.

“As a politician he handed the weapon of satire as a stiletto or a broadax as the occasion demanded. During the first few months of his Presidency he used humor many times as a roundabout way of saying 'no.'

“As his responsibility grew and became almost unendurable he took to telling jokes again, trying to lessen the tensions in himself and those around him."