Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham LincolnOne of the most influential books of the past fifty years, Team of Rivals is Pulitzer Prize–winning author and esteemed presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin’s modern classic about the political genius of Abraham Lincoln, his unlikely presidency, and his cabinet of former political foes. Winner of the prestigious Lincoln Prize and the inspiration for the Oscar Award winning–film Lincoln, starring Daniel Day-Lewis, directed by Steven Spielberg, and written by Tony Kushner. On May 18, 1860, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention in Chicago. When Lincoln emerged as the victor, his rivals were dismayed and angry. Throughout the turbulent 1850s, each had energetically sought the presidency as the conflict over slavery was leading inexorably to secession and civil war. That Lincoln succeeded, Goodwin demonstrates, was the result of a character that had been forged by experiences that raised him above his more privileged and accomplished rivals. He won because he possessed an extraordinary ability to put himself in the place of other men, to experience what they were feeling, to understand their motives and desires. It was this capacity that enabled Lincoln as president to bring his disgruntled opponents together, create the most unusual cabinet in history, and marshal their talents to the task of preserving the Union and winning the war. We view the long, horrifying struggle from the vantage of the White House as Lincoln copes with incompetent generals, hostile congressmen, and his raucous cabinet. He overcomes these obstacles by winning the respect of his former competitors, and in the case of Seward, finds a loyal and crucial friend to see him through. This brilliant multiple biography is centered on Lincoln's mastery of men and how it shaped the most significant presidency in the nation's history. |
From inside the book
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Page 40
... death and the devastation of his family, would operate throughout Chase's life as a catalyst to his powerful ambition. Even as he scourged himself, he continued to believe that there was still hope, that if he could “once more resolve ...
... death and the devastation of his family, would operate throughout Chase's life as a catalyst to his powerful ambition. Even as he scourged himself, he continued to believe that there was still hope, that if he could “once more resolve ...
Page 42
... death was “so overwhelming, so unexpected,” he told his friend Cleveland, that he could barely function. “I wish you could have known her,” he wrote. “She was universally beloved by her acquaintances. . . . She was gifted with unusual ...
... death was “so overwhelming, so unexpected,” he told his friend Cleveland, that he could barely function. “I wish you could have known her,” he wrote. “She was universally beloved by her acquaintances. . . . She was gifted with unusual ...
Page 43
... death in 1840 during an epidemic of scarlet fever devastated Chase. Losing one's only child, he told Charles Cleveland, was “one of the heaviest calamities which human experience can know.” Little Catherine, he said, had “lent wings to ...
... death in 1840 during an epidemic of scarlet fever devastated Chase. Losing one's only child, he told Charles Cleveland, was “one of the heaviest calamities which human experience can know.” Little Catherine, he said, had “lent wings to ...
Page 44
... death brought an abrupt end to family life at Belmont. Left in straitened circumstances, his mother, like Chase's, sent the children to live with various relatives. Edward spent two years with his older brother Fleming Bates, in ...
... death brought an abrupt end to family life at Belmont. Left in straitened circumstances, his mother, like Chase's, sent the children to live with various relatives. Edward spent two years with his older brother Fleming Bates, in ...
Page 45
... , which would allow the family to relocate west “quite full-handed.” Edward's attempts to settle family affairs in Virginia dragged on, com46 TEAM OF RIVALS plicated by the death of his brother 26213 ch 01-ch 04 9/1/05 4:13 PM Page 45.
... , which would allow the family to relocate west “quite full-handed.” Edward's attempts to settle family affairs in Virginia dragged on, com46 TEAM OF RIVALS plicated by the death of his brother 26213 ch 01-ch 04 9/1/05 4:13 PM Page 45.
Contents
2 | |
Political Map of the United States circa 1856 | 138 |
MASTER AMONG MEN | 321 |
CONTENTS | 330 |
Epilogue | 751 |
Notes | 759 |
Illustration Credits | 881 |
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Common terms and phrases
Abraham Lincoln antislavery April army August battle Blair Browning cabinet Cameron campaign Charles Charles Francis Adams Chase Papers Chicago Civil coln Confederate confidence Congress convention crowd Davis Democrats diary Douglas Douglass Edward Bates election emancipation Fanny father February field finally find first five floor Frances Frederick Douglass Frémont Grant ibid Illinois influence January John July June Kate later letter Lincoln Papers March Mary Mary Todd Lincoln Mary’s McClellan Missouri nation never Nicolay night nomination North NYTrib office officers official Ohio Orville Hickman Browning political president president’s proclamation radical rebel recalled reel Republican Party Salmon secretary Senate September Seward at Washington Seward Papers Simon Cameron slavery slaves soldiers South speech Sprague Springfield Stanton Sumner TEAM OF RIVALS Thurlow Weed tion told troops Union victory vote Whig White House William Henry Seward William Sprague wrote York young