Team of Rivals

The life and times of Abraham Lincoln have been analyzed and dissected in countless books Do we need another Lincoln biography In Team of Rivals, esteemed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin proves that we do Though she can t help but cover some familiar territory, her perspective is focused enough to offer fresh insights into Lincoln s leadership style and his deep understanding of human behavior and motivation Goodwin makes the case for Lincoln s political genius by examining his relationships with three men he selected for his cabinet, all of whom were opponents for the Republican nomination in 1860 William H Seward, Salmon P Chase, and Edward Bates These men, all accomplished, nationally known, and presidential, originally disdained Lincoln for his backwoods upbringing and lack of experience, and were shocked and humiliated at losing to this relatively obscure Illinois lawyer Yet Lincoln not only convinced them to join his administration Seward as secretary of state, Chase as secretary of the treasury, and Bates as attorney general he ultimately gained their admiration and respect as well How he soothed egos, turned rivals into allies, and dealt with many challenges to his leadership, all for the sake of the greater good, is largely what Goodwin s fine book is about Had he not possessed the wisdom and confidence to select and work with the best people, she argues, he could not have led the nation through one of its darkest periods Ten years in the making, this engaging work reveals why Lincoln s road to success was longer, tortuous, and far less likely than the other men, and why, when opportunity beckoned, Lincoln was the best prepared to answer the call This multiple biography further provides valuable background and insights into the contributions and talents of Seward, Chase, and Bates Lincoln may have been the indispensable ingredient of the Civil War, but these three men were invaluable to Lincoln and they played key roles in keeping the nation intact Shawn Carkonen Team of Rivals doesn t just tell the story of Abraham Lincoln It is a multiple biography of the entire team of personal and political competitors that he put together to lead the country through its greatest crisis Here, Doris Kearns Goodwin profiles five of the key players in her book, four of whom contended for the 1860 Republican presidential nomination and all of whom later worked together in Lincoln s cabinet.1 Edwin M StantonStanton treated Lincoln with utter contempt at their initial acquaintance when the two men were involved in a celebrated law case in the summer of 1855 Unimaginable as it might seem after Stanton s demeaning behavior, Lincoln offered him the most powerful civilian post within his gift the post of secretary of war at their next encounter six years later On his first day in office as Simon Cameron s replacement, the energetic, hardworking Stanton instituted an entirely new regime in the War Department After nearly a year of disappointment with Cameron, Lincoln had found in Stanton the leader the War Department desperately needed Lincoln s choice of Stanton revealed his singular ability to transcend personal vendetta, humiliation, or bitterness As for Stanton, despite his initial contempt for the man he once described as a long armed Ape, he not only accepted the offer but came to respect and love Lincoln than any person outside of his immediate family He was beside himself with grief for weeks after the president s death.2 Salmon P ChaseChase, an Ohioan, had been both senator and governor, had played a central role in the formation of the national Republican Party, and had shown an unflagging commitment to the cause of the black man No individual felt he deserved the presidency as a natural result of his past contributions than Chase himself, but he refused to engage in the practical methods by which nominations are won He had virtually no campaign and he failed to conciliate his many enemies in Ohio itself As a result, he alone among the candidates came to the convention without the united support of his own state Chase never ceased to underestimate Lincoln, nor to resent the fact that he had lost the presidency to a man he considered his inferior His frustration with his position as secretary of the treasury was alleviated only by his his dogged hope that he, rather than Lincoln, would be the Republican nominee in 1864, and he steadfastly worked to that end The president put up with Chase s machinations and haughty yet fundamentally insecure nature because he recognized his superlative accomplishments at treasury Eventually, however, Chase threatened to split the Republican Party by continuing to fill key positions with partisans who supported his presidential hopes When Lincoln stepped in, Chase tendered his resignation as he had three times before, but this time Lincoln stunned Chase by calling his bluff and accepting the offer.3 Abraham Lincoln When Lincoln won the Republican presidential nomination in 1860 he seemed to have come from nowhere a backwoods lawyer who had served one undistinguished term in the House of Representatives and lost two consecutive contests for the U.S Senate Contemporaries attributed his surprising nomination to chance, to his moderate position on slavery, and to the fact that he hailed from the battleground state of Illinois But Lincoln s triumph, particularly when viewed against the efforts of his rivals, owed much to a remarkable, unsuspected political acuity and an emotional strength forged in the crucible of hardship and defeat That Lincoln, after winning the presidency, made the unprecedented decision to incorporate his eminent rivals into his political family, the cabinet, was evidence of an uncanny self confidence and an indication of what would prove to others a most unexpected greatness.4 William H Seward A celebrated senator from New York for than a decade and governor of his state for two terms before going to Washington, Seward was certain he was going to receive his party s nomination for president in 1860 The weekend before the convention in Chicago opened he had already composed a first draft of the valedictory speech he expected to make to the Senate, assuming that he would resign his position as soon as the decision in Chicago was made His mortification at not having received the nomination never fully abated, and when he was offered his cabinet post as secretary of state he intended to have a major role in choosing the remaining cabinet members, conferring upon himself a position in the new government commanding than that of Lincoln himself He quickly realized the futility of his plan to relegate the president to a figurehead role Though the feisty New Yorker would continue to debate numerous issues with Lincoln in the years ahead, exactly as Lincoln had hoped and needed him to do, Seward would become his closest friend, advisor, and ally in the administration More than any other cabinet member Seward appreciated Lincoln s peerless skill in balancing factions both within his administration and in the country at large.5 Edward Bates A widely respected elder statesman, a delegate to the convention that framed the Missouri Constitution, and a former Missouri congressman whose opinions on national matters were still widely sought, Bates s ambitions for political success were gradually displaced by love for his wife and large family, and he withdrew from public life in the late 1840s For the next 20 years he was asked repeatedly to run or once again accept high government posts but he consistently declined However in early 1860, with letters and newspaper editorials advocating his candidacy crowding in upon him, he decided to try for the highest office in the land After losing to Lincoln he vowed, in his diary, to decline a cabinet position if one were to be offered, but with the country in trouble and danger he felt it was his duty to accept when Lincoln asked him to be attorney general Though Bates initially viewed Lincoln as a well meaning but incompetent administrator, he eventually concluded that the president was an unmatched leader, very near being a perfect man. Read Team of Rivals author Doris Kearns Goodwin – kino-fada.fr I heard Goodwin talk about this book on NPR, and she sounded like she d been an eyewitness to the events Sold me the book.On June 17th I ve been a hundred pages from the end for ten days I don t want Abe to die.July 17th Okay, I finally made myself finish Abe s dead and I m a wreck.In this book Goodwin puts Abraham Lincoln in the context of his peers, many of whom ran against him for the first Republican nomination for president remember they d just invented that party and one of whom, I heard Goodwin talk about this book on NPR, and she sounded like she d been an eyewitness to the events Sold me the book.On June 17th I ve been a hundred pages from the end for ten days I don t want Abe to die.July 17th Okay, I finally made myself finish Abe s dead and I m a wreck.In this book Goodwin puts Abraham Lincoln in the context of his peers, many of whom ran against him for the first Republican nomination for president remember they d just invented that party and one of whom, Stanton, had treated him with outright contempt in a law case years before Seward accepted the job of Secretary of State thinking Lincoln would be his puppet, and Chase literally ran his second campaign for president out of the Department of the Treasury Lincoln underst...As a history lover, I m a bit of a snob While everyone is rushing to purchase the newest warm milk entry from David McCullough, I make a show of purchasing turgid, poorly edited treatises put out by university presses about some guy who did something long ago that doesn t really matter any Of course, as every snob eventually learns, being snobbish is like slamming a hammer down on your thumb you only hurt yourself and everyone thinks you re an idiot When it was published, Team of Rivals As a history lover, I m a bit of a snob While everyone is rushing to purchase the newest warm milk entry from David McCullough, I make a show of purchasing turgid, poorly edited treatises put out by university presses about some guy who did something long ago that doesn t really matter any Of course, as every snob eventually learns, being snobbish is like slamming a hammer down on your thumb you only hurt yourself and everyone thinks you re an idiot When it was published, Team of Rivals became the it book of popular fiction, achieving something of the mass audience of McCullough s John Adams That meant, of course, that I put on my beret, grew a pencil mustache, and turned up my nose at the very notion of reading it While I was ig...Please forgive me resorting to a tired trick and leading off with a definition from the dictionary, but there is a point to it pol i ti cian 1 a person experienced in the art or science of government especially one actively engaged in conducting the business of a government2A a person engaged in party politics as a profession2B a person primarily interested in political office for selfish or other narrow usually short sighted reasonsAmericans these days seem to think that 2B is the only Please forgive me resorting to a tired trick and leading off with a definition from the dictionary, but there is a point to it pol i ti cian 1 a person experienced in the art or science of government especially one actively engaged in conducting the business of a government2A a person engaged in party politics as a profession2B a person primarily interested in political office for selfish or other narrow usually short sighted reasonsAmericans these days seem to think that 2B is the only definition for the word, and even the first meaning is considered an insult because if you actually know how the government works, then you re guilty by association Hell, politicians now deny being politicians as they try to get reelected to political office while screaming about how all politicians suck Or the Tea Party just finds the angriest moron around to run It s weird that it s become such a dirty word because one of the greatest Americans by almost any...I would have given this bookstars if I could have I think I loved this book so much because Abraham Lincoln was such an absolutely amazing person We are all taught that Lincoln was one of America s great presidents, and we know that he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, but he is so much greater of a man than I ever knew Lincoln was super smart, wise, and incredibly compassionate and empathetic While unsure of his own faith, Lincoln, through his own care for others, was so muchI would have given this bookstars if I could have I think I loved this book so much bec...When Rod Blagojevich was impeached and hauled off to prison, that made four of the previous seven Illinois governors to have done time Countless representatives and aldermen have been locked up, too Then there was my wife s favorite a former Secretary of State found after his death to have 800,000 stuffed in shoe boxes Our reputation for corrupt politicians is, I dare say, unsurpassed Fortunately, we here in the Land of Lincoln as we call it on our license plates have one historical figu When Rod Blagojevich was impeached and hauled off to prison, that made four of the previous seven Illinois governors to have done time Countless representatives and aldermen have been locked up, too Then there was my wife s favorite a former Secretary of State found after his death to have 800,000 stuffed in shoe boxes Our reputation for corrupt politicians is, I dare say, unsurpassed Fortunately, we here in the Land of Lincoln as we call it on our license plates have one historical figure capable of tipping the scales back towards respectability.I ve taken a real interest in Abe and his legacy in recent monthson...Put aside whatever you re reading now yes, even those compelling vampire romance books and pick up this book It s that good Even though Goodwin is writing about Lincoln s cabinet, her work is eerily contemporary, given Obama s situation Everyone but a handful of people thought Lincoln had risen too fast and was too untried to take charge of a desperate crises facing the country Goodwin uses the main characters diaries, letters, journals, and speeches to...A True Leader and Genius of High Moral Character If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for other business If the end brings me out all right, what s said against me won t amount to anything If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference. Pres Abraham Lincoln, quoted in F B Carpenter, The Inner Life of Abraham Lincoln Six Months at the White House 1869.Truly, I didn t start out A True Leader and Genius of High Moral Character If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for other business If the end brings me out all right, what s said against me won t amount to anything If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference. Pres Abraham Lincoln, quoted in F B Carpenter, The Inner Life of Abraham Lincoln Six Months at the White House 1869.Truly, I didn t start out reading this book to compar...Biographies aren t always boring tomes Doris Kearns Goodwin does a magnificent job of detailing how Abraham Lincoln, a lesser known and ill positioned candidate captures the Republican party s nomination, goes on to get elected President, and leads America through the tumult of the Civil War.While most of us know Lincoln as honest Abe and the President who emancipated slaves, Kearns Goodwin offers a portrait of a man who took many of the men who d he d beaten out as the republican nominee int Biographies aren t always boring tomes Doris Kearns Goodwin does a magnificent job of detailing how Abraham Lincoln, a lesser known and ill positioned candidate captures the Republican party s nomination, goes on to get elected President, and leads America through the tumult of the Civil War.While most of us know Lincoln as honest Abe and the President who emancipated slaves, Kearns Goodwin offers a portrait of a man who took many of the men who d he d beaten out as the republican nominee into his Presidential Cabinet His offering them positions of significance in his Administration positions that had the power to ruin his presidency seemed, at least initially, to many as the act of a political neophyte or backwater bumpkin As the Civil War is being prosecuted, readers get to see how strategic Lincoln s use of man s personal ambitions and commitments to country made them effective members of the Cabinet Kearns Goodwin s narrative offe...This is the book that the film Lincoln is somewhat based on President Obama has said that he looks to Lincoln as a model leader He should In TEAM OF RIVALS Lincoln brings genius to the adage friends close, enemies closer.In 1860, the fledgling Republican Party nominated its second candidate for the Presidency of the United States Four men competed for the honor William Seward, a U.S Senator, former governor of New York and one of the most honored and experienced politicians of his day Edward Bates, a former congressman from Missouri Salmon P Chase, a former U.S Senator and former governor of Ohio who had played a significant role in founding the party and Abraham Lincoln, until very recently a little kno In 1860, the fledgling Republican Party nominated its second candidate for the Presidency of the United States Four men competed for the honor William Seward, a U.S Senator, former governor of New York and one of the most honored and experienced politicians of his day Edward Bates, a former congressman from Missouri Salmon P Chase, a former U.S Senator and former governor of Ohio who had played a significant role in founding the party and Abraham Lincoln, until very recently a little known lawyer from Illinois who had served one term in the U.S House of Representatives in the late 1840s.As the convention neared, Seward was the presumptive favorite and considered himself the best of the possible candidates while Chase assumed that the convention owed him the nomination because of his early service to the party But Chase ran an inept campaign and was unable even to win the consolidated support o...

• English
• 06 January 2018
Doris Kearns Goodwin
• Paperback
• 916 pages
• 0743270754
• Doris Kearns Goodwin
• Team of Rivals