Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

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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, more 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

The Team of Rivals

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. Stanton
Stanton 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 more than any person outside of his immediate family. He was beside himself with grief for weeks after the president's death.
2. Salmon P. Chase
Chase, 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 more 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 more 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 more 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.'"

The Essential Doris Kearns Goodwin

Wait Till Next Year: A Memoir
No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II
Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream

More New Reading on the Civil War

Lincoln's Melancholy: How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness by Joshua Wolf Shenk
Grant and Sherman: The Friendship That Won the Civil War by Charles Bracelen Flood
The March: A Novel by E.L. Doctorow

Book Description

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.

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic.......2007-10-19

This fine book transported me back in time. I was able to observe historical events as they unfolded. I now know Abraham Lincoln and his close associates. They will forever remain good friends of mine.

Excellent.......2007-10-17

Fast and reliable service, the book was in excellent condition. I would definitely order again from the seller.

Fantastic!.......2007-10-15

Excellnt book. I just wish that the author had continued on after Lincoln's death to discuss post-war reconstruction. Nevertheless, it is a fascinating look at Lincoln and his cabinet.

TEAM OF RIVALS.......2007-10-13

TEAM OF RIVALS IS AN EXCELLENT REPRESENTATION OF LINCOLN'S CABINET WHICH WAS CURIOUSLY MADE OF FOUR POLITICAL OPPONENTS AND THREE PARTISAN MEMBERS. DORIS KEARNS GODWIN, WELL KNOWN HISTORIAN, DESCRIBES THEIR BACKGROUNDS AND THEIR POLITICAL DIFFERENCES WHICH INVITES THE READER INTO THEIR CHARACTERS, POLICIES AND BACKGROUNDS. IT IS A NEW VIEW OF LINCOLN, AS WELL AS, HIS CABINET. IT IS SO INTERESTING THAT ALTHOUGH LONG, YOU WON'T WANT TO PUT IT DOWN.

team of rivals.......2007-10-05

great look at the inner workings of the executive branch This cabinet was hardly a "team". In comparison to the way cabinets members are selelected in our era of political, Lincoln showed incredible political courage to select this group.

Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times

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Lincoln is still a leader.
Leadership During ALL Times
Great viewpoint on focusing on people
Lessons on Leadership
Excellent and well-worth reading.

Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times
Donald T. Phillips
Manufacturer: Business Plus
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0446394599

Customer Reviews:

Lincoln is still a leader........2007-10-01

I selected "Lincoln on Leadership" as a biography to use in a graduate educational administration course and I couldn't have chosen a better book. The organization of the book highlighted leadership qualities that Lincoln exemplified and each chapter had a succinct summary of those leadership skills. Lincoln's leadership is applicable to all types of leadership including education.

Leadership During ALL Times.......2007-04-28

Donald T. Phillips used our sixteenth president's wisdom under fire to provide an excellent primer for leadership focused on tough times, but it is as important during good times. When sales are at record levels, employees are happily working long hours, and new prospects are pounding on the doors because of customers' recommendations, is when one needs to be preparing for potential tough times.

Few will go through the meat-grinder which faced President Lincoln, but able leadership during good times will give an organization a firm footing for the mishaps and misfortunes which will affect us all at some point. Focusing on the 'Endeavor' section of the book, Phillips illustrates examples of Lincoln's will, ability, and lack of hesitation in making tough, necessary decisions. Losing a war, being sniped at by those who should be supporters, and struggling with difficult family matters can be paralyzing, but ignoring a personnel issue so as to not rock the boat during a smooth voyage can also be destructive. Phillips points out how "Lincoln often accepted the aggravation and exasperation caused by subordinates if they did their jobs competently", but he also shows how Lincoln could be decisive and tough when his hand was forced. This includes disciplining and firing upper level staff such as cabinet secretaries and commanding generals.

Any review of Lincoln's life would be incomplete without mentioning his use of humor and a unique storytelling ability to make his point. Phillips recounts Lincoln's reason for doing so, which includes these lines: "I often avoid a long and useless discussion by others or a laborious explanation on my own part by a short story that illustrates my point of view." "No, I am not simply a story-teller, but story-telling as an emollient saves me much friction and distress." Oh, if only more of our business and government leaders would use short stories, saving us all some "friction and distress".

The chapter titled "Persuade Rather Than Coerce" explains that Lincoln was smart enough to know that he couldn't do it all by himself, but needed capable leaders who were authorized to make decisions and act on them. His largest problem with military leadership was a gauntlet of generals who were not willing to assume that responsibility. Understanding that influence is a more effective tool of leadership than coercion or orders, he "...preferred to let his generals make their own decisions and hoped that, through his suggestions, they would do the right thing."

That chapter begins with a quote from the first Lincoln Douglas debate: With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it, nothing can succeed. Consequently he who molds public sentiment goes deeper than he who enacts statutes or pronounces decisions. Looking back at the presidents of my lifetime, it is easy to see which have taken this advice to heart, and have shown success because of it. Likewise, those who have ignored it, and a recent president comes to mind, have had their leadership suffer.

Paraphrasing John C. Maxwell, there is no such thing as `leadership during tough times'; there is only `leadership'. Those fond of history and anyone interested in leadership should read this book.

Great viewpoint on focusing on people.......2007-04-23

This book is one of the best management/leadership books I have ever read. It was giving to me by one of my business school professors who I respect and admire greatly. The book will not disappoint you if you decide to buy it. Worth the time and money!

Lessons on Leadership.......2007-03-31

This is a great book for individuals entering the business world to read how leadership and ethics can and should lead to excellent decision-making skills.

Excellent and well-worth reading........2007-03-31

This book is well written and will appeal to a very wide range of readers, including but not limited to Lincoln scholars and those interested in leadership. Readers who are interested in history, business, politics and those who just like well-written prose should enjoy this book. As the title states, this book is about Lincoln's leadership style. He is portrayed as a paradigm of an effective leader. The book covers topics such as: his interactions with people, his character, his decisiveness, and his immense skills as a communicator. Each chapter covers a different facet of leadership and how Lincoln typified this feature. At the end of each chapter there is brief discussion of how this applies to current day business and politics. There is also a brief summary list of Lincoln's principles discussed in that chapter. The book itself is brief and you can learn a lot from the way that Lincoln interacted with and led people during the most trying time in America's history.

While the focus of the book is on Lincoln's leadership, I learned quite a bit about the man and the challenges that he faced and how he shaped the subsequent government of the US. This was done in a very interesting manner, which was devoid of the dense details of a history book. I got more from this brief book than from some much more detailed books on the Civil War. The book is replete with Lincoln anecdotes, jokes and parables, all of which enrich the text and get the points across in much the same way Lincoln initially used them to get his points across. The best accolade that I can give this book as that it is making me read more about Lincoln and about leadership.

Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America: A Biography

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Gienapp Let-Down
magnificent!
My Captain!
Abraham Lincoln And Civil War America
Abraham Lincoln in one slim volume.

Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America: A Biography
William E. Gienapp
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0195151003

Book Description

While the heart of the book focuses on the Civil War, Gienapp begins with a finely etched portrait of Lincoln's early life, from pioneer farm boy, to politician and lawyer in Springfield, to his stunning election as sixteenth president of the United States. We see how Lincoln grew during his years in office, how he developed a keen aptitude for military strategy and displayed enormous skill in dealing with his generals, and also how his strategy evolved from a desire to preserve the Union into one of emancipation and total war. A former backwoodsman and country lawyer, Abraham Lincoln rose to become one of America's greatest presidents. The biography offers a vivid account of Lincoln's dramatic ascension to the pinnacle of American history.

Customer Reviews:

Gienapp Let-Down.......2006-11-08

Bill Gienapp was a brilliant historian, and his work "The Origins of the Republican Party, 1852-1856" is a pillar of American political history. Unfortunately, his final work, "Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America," is a tremendous let-down. It is perhaps one of the worst examinations of Lincoln's life, and has almost nothing to do with "Civil War America." Essentially, it is an unqualified love poem to Lincoln, and strives only to prove his greatness -- there is no critical analysis at all. Lincoln is given credit for every political and military success 1861-1865 and is absolved from blame for all his mistakes. In reality, Lincoln was a complex personality and his public career was much more tumultuous than Gienapp proposes. It is disappointing that Gienapp, a man who dedicated his life to exhaustive, nearly flawless historical research would resort to such frivolous, uncritical "pop history" at the end of his tragically short life. Skip Gienapp's Lincoln and, instead, read Stephen Oates's "With Malice Toward None" or Don Fehrenbacher's "Prelude to Greatness: Lincoln in the 1850s."

magnificent!.......2006-06-27

A short, but very well biography of Lincoln. It counts only 250 pages, but it gives an excellent overwiew and superb analyse of the life of AL. The bibliography is also very interesting. One of the best books about the 16th president. A must for a Lincolnhistorian.

My Captain!.......2005-04-04

A good short, solid political biography. While Lincoln and the Civil War is its focus, by no means is this a battle history: Gettysburg is described in one paragraph.

Professor Gienapp has written a book that will introduce one to, or remind one of, the long and trying path traveled by Abraham Lincoln toward ultimate greatness.

Abraham Lincoln And Civil War America.......2002-03-23

William Gienapp's Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America answers a longstanding need for a biography of Lincoln manageable in size, accessible in style, and wise and balanced in content. Lincoln appers on every page of the book and is never lost sight of in the welter of events. He emerges from the text a real believable person, an individual and persuasive assessment of Lincoln's leadership abilities, the finest such appraisal avilable anywhere.

Abraham Lincoln in one slim volume........2002-03-10

This book is a welcome addition ot the already crowded Lincolnia bookself. The author is the presumed successor to the retired David Herbert Donald at Harvard University. Gienapp has produced a highly readable and concise version of a Lincoln biography that can be completed on a moderately long airplane trip(and it's quite portable unlike most hardcover books). While relatively short,this book is a sufficiently thorough treatment of the Civil War Lincoln. I especially enjoyed the author's analysis of the politician Lincoln who mastered his rivals, both Republican and Democrat. This a good book for either a new Lincoln /Civil War "buff" or a good refresher for a scholar of the times.

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Gorgeous
Brilliant narrative and photography of Abraham Lincoln
Sumptuous Photography
draws on an incredible variety of sources...
You must have this book

Lincoln: An Illustrated Biography
Philip B. Jr Kunhardt , Philip B. Iii Kunhardt , and Peter W. Kunhardt
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0679408622
Release Date: 1992-10-20

Book Description

2 cassettes / 3 hours
Read by Frank Langella

An AudioBook to be treasured by all history buffs: the companion volume to the ABC TV documentary.

This remarkable biography presents Abraham Lincoln as we have never before seen him. The insightful and vibrant narrative draws extensively on diaries, letters, and other primary sources to provide a remarkably close-up view of Lincoln: the boy, the homespun politician, the president, the military leader, the man with his family. Philip B. Kunhardt, Jr., Philip B. Kunhardt III and Peter W. Kunhardt give us the fascinating life - from birth to death - of the extraordinary man who was the 16th president of the United States.

Customer Reviews:

Gorgeous.......2001-03-16

Kudos to the publisher Knopf and all involved on the quality of this book. The reproduction of the 19th century photographs is first rate. The sepia toned image of the great man inside the front cover is exceptionally gorgeous - just breathtaking.

John Updike said Knopf publishes the most physically beautiful books in America, and this book leads me to believe he's right.

This is not a comprehesive, scholarly biography of Lincoln, nor does it pretend to be. But the text reads well, and the Lincoln photographs are beautiful, all-inclusive and presented in sound written context. The large size of the book works particularly nicely here. Well done!

Brilliant narrative and photography of Abraham Lincoln.......2000-12-14

Philip B. Kunhardt is to be highly commended for this outstanding photographic history of Abraham Lincoln. Not only are the photographs captivating, but the narrative of Lincolns life and the important events during his lifetime are interesting and enhance this book. Many interesting stories go along with the photographs of Lincoln from his 40's to his last days, however the most interesting part in my opinion is the month by month account of his presidency and the important events that occured. So much about the man has been written, but until this book was published not as many photos of President Lincoln were circulated or published. Just as important, are the events and stories which swirled around Lincoln. From his habits and humor to his history changing decisions are written in clarity and interesting form. His life and his loves are given with compassion, and his impossible losses of his sons and his mentally unballanced wife Mary Todd Lincoln is given unflinchingly. The last chapter of the book is about the assassination and the controversy surrounding Lincoln's remains, a very interesting and informative chapter to close with. I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in U.S. History or 19th Century U.S. History.

Sumptuous Photography.......2000-08-05

The quality of this book is what first grabs you. The paper is thick, glossy and has weight, it reproduces 19th century photographs beautifully. The text is ancillary and never intrudes upon the primary focus here, which are the photographs of Lincoln, his family and the people who shaped his extraordinary life. The text illuminates and expands upon the photographs, giving dates and other pertinent information.

If you're looking for a full-scale biography of Lincoln, look elsewhere, this is primarily a visual treat and one of the better photographic compilations on any President.

draws on an incredible variety of sources..........2000-06-08

...that deal with President Lincoln; includes some excellent photography and many good quotations. What an incredible fellow he was.

You must have this book.......2000-04-18

This is a fantastic and beautiful book--oversized, loaded with more photos than you've ever seen in a Lincoln book, and worthy of coffee-table display. But it's not just a picture book. Each page is jam-packed with text, including an account of a dream Lincoln had about his own assassination. You'll definitely want the hardback version. Even if you've got a hefty collection of Lincoln lore, you must add this book to your shelves!

The Radical and the Republican: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and the Triumph of Antislavery Politics

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Puts the radical ideologist and the political realist in historical perspective
What changed Frederick Douglass' mind
The Politician and the Reformer
Neglected History
A spectacular love story

The Radical and the Republican: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and the Triumph of Antislavery Politics
James Oakes
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0393061949

Book Description

A major history of Civil War America through the lens of its two towering figures: Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.

"My husband considered you a dear friend," Mary Todd Lincoln wrote to Frederick Douglass in the weeks after Lincoln's assassination. The frontier lawyer and the former slave, the cautious politician and the fiery reformer, the president and the most famous black man in America—their lives traced different paths that finally met in the bloody landscape of secession, Civil War, and emancipation. Opponents at first, they gradually became allies, each influenced by and attracted to the other. Their three meetings in the White House signaled a profound shift in the direction of the Civil War, and in the fate of the United States. In this first book to draw the two together, James Oakes has written a masterful narrative history. He brings these two iconic figures to life and sheds new light on the central issues of slavery, race, and equality in Civil War America.

Customer Reviews:

Puts the radical ideologist and the political realist in historical perspective.......2007-05-30

One of the easiest things to do, especially on the web, is to take a highly regarded leader of the past, say, Abraham Lincoln, pull a few of his quotes or actions out of their historical context, and supposedly "prove" how horrible that leader actually was. In contrast, author James Oakes explains Lincoln to us postmoderns the way an historian should - by reminding us of Lincoln's circumstances and explaining Lincoln's overarching purposes. Oakes does this without resorting to making Lincoln a saint. According to Oakes' compellingly-supported evidence, Lincoln refused to compromise two essential commitments - to antislavery and to the American political system. Lincoln would not compromise his antislavery position to get more votes, nor would he compromise his oaths to uphold the Constitution to undermine slavery. This dual commitment of Lincoln's goes very far in helping us understand why Lincoln limited his goal to preventing the spread of slavery before he became president, why he didn't just go ahead and free all the slaves when he became president, why he moved slowly towards emancipation during the war, etc. Furthermore, the author's discussion of Lincoln's overwhelming desire to change the hearts and minds of Americans about slavery instead of merely forcing through political change regardless of wider support was especially useful. As the "Republican" in the title, Lincoln wanted a government that represented the will of the people; therefore, the will of the people needed to be converted before the government could make radical change. The fact that Lincoln helped accomplish this more widespread change is quite a testament to his legacy of leadership.

The "Radical" in the title is another great American, Frederick Douglass. Unlike Lincoln's, Douglass' reputation typically is not in dispute. Most of us love Douglass, and for good reason. Oakes doesn't tarnish Douglass' reputation, but he does help us to understand how Douglass' singular commitment to antislavery/antiracism, as compared to Lincoln's dual commitment explained above, often put Douglass at odds with the political process AND caused Douglass to speak out so vehemently against politicians like Lincoln. From Douglass' perspective, only immediate emancipation and egalitarianism would serve justice. Thus, by necessity, Douglass would oppose and criticize Lincoln - that is, until the two men met.

One of the reviewers below critiques Oakes for supposedly overstating the relationship between the two men. I believe this critique is misplaced because Oakes never claimed to be writing primarily about the interpersonal relationship between the two. Instead, he's writing about the interplay of the radical ideology of one, and the antislavery politics of the other. Also, I think that Oakes analyzes the relationship between Brown and Douglass comprehensively, not simplistically, as a reviewer below seems to believe.

As a person who teaches history at the college level, and as a person who enjoys reading history for fun, I would recommend this book. I intend to make it one of my required texts for my survey American history course, alongside Frederick Douglass' autobiography.

What changed Frederick Douglass' mind.......2007-04-24

Author James Oakes tells us this: in 1860 Frederick Douglass wrote of the upcoming presidential election "I cannot support Lincoln." But in 1888, Douglass said he had met no man "possessing a more godlike nature than did Abraham Lincoln." What had happened?

Oakes gives us a quick glance at his hypothesis within the subtitle of his book: the triumph of antislavery politics. As he explains, this doesn't apply to Lincoln. Lincoln was always an anti-slavery politician, although his thinking on how and how fast slavery should be destroyed changed over time. But with regards to the use of politics as the means to abolish slavery, the man whose thinking moved more was Frederick Douglass. And although the two men share the billing in Oakes' title, this is far more a book about Douglass than Lincoln. It is a book about the evolution of the reasoning of Frederick Douglass.

That evolution, as Oakes paints it, began for Douglass from the belief that the issue of slavery transcended politics and the compromises that came with it. Oakes traces how Douglass the reformer began to be drawn into the political arena, alienating the abolitionists who had first supported his career. But still he carried with him that insistence on absolutism. He brooked no delays, no strategic maneuverings. Lincoln and the Republicans were gradualists, and therefore were deemed irresolute and untrustworthy.

After the Civil War began, Douglass found even more reasons for outrage. Lincoln refused to immediately emancipate the slaves. The President even countermanded the Union generals who issued proclamations freeing the slaves in the territories they conquered. Lincoln had not yet issued a retaliation policy against confederates who captured and often executed southern blacks who had joined the Union army. Oakes gives us deft insights into Lincoln's thinking on all these issues. Douglass, who apparently was not himself an acolyte of consistency, bounced back and forth in his electoral attitudes. But he never let up in his pressure on Lincoln nor in his condemnation of the President's lack of strong steps against slave-holding interests.

Then, first in 1863, Lincoln meets with Douglass. About a year later, at Lincoln's request, they meet a second time and Lincoln asks Douglass to draw up a plan to get as many slaves freed under the Emancipation Proclamation as possible. Over that span Douglass' thinking with regards to Lincoln undergoes a dramatic shift. Afterwards, his criticism of Lincoln essentially stops.

Oakes describes these meetings, including a third just after Lincoln's second inaugural address, in as much detail as consistent with the small format of the book. He relies largely on Douglass' own recollections. Oakes also gives us dramatic retellings of other events in Douglass' career that illustrate the development of his thinking, but also the refinement of his skills as a political strategist.

We are still left wondering what exactly was the effect of those meetings with Lincoln. Was Douglass simply overwhelmed, as others were, by the force of Lincoln's understated humaneness and thereby convinced of the President's genuine concern for blacks? Or did Lincoln persuade Douglass that his political methods were the best possible under the evolving circumstances? Or did Lincoln flatter Douglass into acquiescence, especially in enlisting his help during that second meeting?

These possibilities are not mutually exclusive. Oakes in no way downplays the significance of these meetings. But I believe he wants us to see that what happened was entirely consistent with the evolution of Douglass' thinking with regards to politics. As a reformer, he saw it his job to always keep the pressure on. But where and how best to apply that pressure --- that changed in his meetings with Lincoln. And, near the end of Douglass' life, when he raised Lincoln to sainthood, he was still putting the pressure on. But he was using Lincoln's reputation to apply that pressure against the backsliding that the post-Reconstruction era had brought. Douglass had found a way to combine the duties of a reformer with a sophisticated instinct for politics.

"The Radical and the Republican" is not a dramatic retelling of events. It is certainly not a co-biography of its two principals. But it does have drama. That drama comes from taking Douglass' thinking seriously and mapping out its development and growing political sophistication. To do this, it uses comparisons with Lincoln's thinking and the interplay of the two men's principles and actions. But it's not by accident that Douglass comes first in the book's title and its cover. There are many books about Lincoln. This is a book about Frederick Douglass.

The Politician and the Reformer.......2007-03-22

Abraham Lincoln (1809 --1865) and Frederick Douglass (1818 -- 1895)are American heroes with each exemplifying a unique aspect of the American spirit. In his recent study, "The Radical and the Republican: Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and the Triumph of Antislavery Politics" (2007), Professor James Oakes traces the intersecting careers of both men, pointing out their initial differences and how their goals and visions ultimately converged. Oakes is Graduate School Humanities Professor and Professor of History at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. He has written extensively on the history of slavery in the Old South.

Oakes reminds the reader of how much Lincoln and Douglass originally shared. Lincoln and Douglass were self-made, self-educated, and ambitious, and each rose to success from humble backgrounds. Douglass, of course, was an escaped slave. Douglass certainly and Lincoln most likely detested slavery from his youngest days. But Lincoln from his young manhood was a consummate politican devoted to compromise, consensus-building, moderation and indirection. Douglass was a reformer who spoke and wrote eloquently and with passion for the abolition of slavery and for equal rights for African Americans.

Much of Oakes's book explores the difficult subject of Lincoln's attitude towards civil rights -- as opposed simply to the ending of slavery -- and of how Lincoln's views developed during the Civil War. Oakes uses Douglass as a foil for Lincoln beginning with the Lincoln -- Stephen Douglas debates in Illinois in 1858. Steven Douglas tried hard to link Lincoln to Frederick Douglass and to abolitionism. He claimed that Lincoln favored equal rights for Negroes and raised the spectre of intermarriage between white women and black men. Portions of Lincoln's responses to Stephen Douglas were almost as distressing, as Lincoln carefully avoided supporting civil equality between the races and stressed instead the evil of slavery and the need to stop its expansion. It is not surprising that Douglass the abolitionist was ambivalent and mistrustful of Lincoln in the early years, doubting his committment to the cause of ending slavery.

Douglass continued to distrust President Lincoln. Douglass found the President too quick to temporize and too slow to act towards freeing the slaves. In widely publicized actions, Lincoln had rebuked two of his generals, Freemont and Hunter, who had tried to take aggressive action to free slaves. Lincoln had acted in order to keep on good terms with the border states whose support he deemed necessary to a successful war effort. But Douglass saw Lincoln's actions as weak and waffling.

Douglass's attitude gradually changed with the Emancipation Proclamation and with three meetings between the two men in 1863, 1864, and 1865. Douglass was won over by the President. Lincoln, for his part, seemed to view Douglass with genuine affection and friendship. Douglass gave masterful orations summarizing Lincoln's accomplishments following Lincoln's assassination, in 1876 at the unveiling of the Emancipation Monument in Lincoln Park, Washington, D.C., and throughout the rest of his life. Lincoln had fought slavery with every means at his command, Douglass came to believe, given the difficult political and military situation with which he had to deal.

Douglass' career moved in an opposite direction from that of Lincoln. He began as a reformer and a follower of the abolitionist William Garrison and he initially shared Garrison's contempt for the American political process. Gradually, Douglass found his own voice, and he became convinced the the United States Constitution did not support slavery. He came to conclude that it was possible to work for change through the political process, and this belief eventually allowed a convergence between him and Lincoln. With the conclusion of the Civil War, Douglass became a party man and a stalwart Republican -- perhaps giving up more than he should have of the passion of his early years. While he ultimately saw the failure of Reconstruction, Douglass remained for the rest of his long life firmly within the American political process.

Oakes does an excellent job of comparing and contrasting the work of Lincoln and Douglass. His accounts of the complex events leading to the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation are particuarly lucid. Oakes argues that Lincoln had surreptitiously delivered the death blow to slavery by the end of 1861. As to Douglass, I learned a great deal from Oakes's discussion of his three autobiographies, written in 1845, 1855, and 1881 (editied, 1891) and of how these works document the change of Douglass from reformer to an instance of the American success story. Oakes also describes well and detail a chilling meeting between Douglass and other African American leaders and President Andrew Johnson in which Douglass unsuccessfully tried to persuade Johnson to extend the right to vote to African Americans.

Oakes has written a readable, informed account of the achievements of two great American leaders. The attitudes which they represent -- the politican and the reformer -- and the issues with which they struggled remain with Americans today.

Robin Friedman

Neglected History.......2007-03-08

I enjoyed this book because it showed the civil rights struggle with all its complexities in a very clear and understandable way. The interaction of Douglas and Lincoln was especially interesting because it provided a very human picture of good men trying to deal with the thinking and forces operating during that time.

A spectacular love story.......2007-03-01

Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass long, coy courtship ends in the conjugal bliss of pragmatism. Explosive!

And the cover of the book is AWESOME. The design is great.

Average customer rating:

Psychologizing Lincoln
Excellent Read
A Brilliant Book Brilliantly Read!
back in the day when a President's moral authority shaped history...
Very overrated Lincoln biography!!!

Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power
Richard Carwardine
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1400096022
Release Date: 2007-01-09

Book Description

As a defender of national unity, a leader in war, and the emancipator of slaves, Abraham Lincoln lays ample claim to being the greatest of our presidents. But the story of his rise to greatness is as complex as it is compelling.

In this superb, prize-winning biography, acclaimed historian Richard Carwardine examines Lincoln’s dramatic political journey, from his early years in the Illinois legislature to his nation-shaping years in the White House. Here, Carwardine combines a new perspective with a compelling narrative to deliver a fresh look at one of the pillars of American politics. He probes the sources of Lincoln’s moral and political philosophy and uses his groundbreaking research to cut through the myth and expose the man behind it.

Download Description

An original and deeply insightful biography of Abraham Lincoln, already awarded the prestigious Lincoln Prize.

As a defender of national unity, a leader in war, and the emancipator of slaves, Abraham Lincoln lays ample claim to being the greatest of our presidents. But the story of his rise to greatness is as complex as it is compelling. In this superb biography, the highly regarded Oxford University historian Richard Carwardine examines Lincoln both in his dramatic political journey and in his nation-shaping White House years. Through his groundbreaking research, Carwardine probes the sources of Lincoln’s moral and political philosophy. We see how, while pursuing office, Lincoln drew strength from public opinion and the machinery of his party. We see him, as a wartime president, recognizing the limits as well as the possibilities of power, and the necessity of looking for support beyond his own administration. We see how he turned to the churches, to their humanitarian agencies, and to the volunteer Union Army for allies in his struggle to end slavery.

In illuminating the political talents that went hand in hand with large and serious moral purpose, Carwardine gives us a fresh, important portrait of the incomparable Abraham Lincoln.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Psychologizing Lincoln.......2007-08-09

Presumption presented as bold fact. I do not like others telling us the hidden thoughts and motives of others (as this book does). We barely understand ourselves. The bible says of our own hearts "who can know it?". Yet this writer presumes to know more about Lincolns heart than even Lincoln did. Sorry but "No".

Excellent Read.......2007-06-21

This book will give you insight on the political tactics Lincoln used and will also educate you on some of his beginnings.

For a true biography I'd look elsewhere.

A Brilliant Book Brilliantly Read!.......2007-04-13

This is a brilliant book! It is extremely well researched, well written and tremendously interesting.

Author Richard Carwardine provides unparalleled insights into the life of Abraham Lincoln, his pursuit of political power, and his use of that power once installed in the White House.

Lincoln made many mistakes as a politician, President of the United States, and Commander and Chief of the Union armies. But he learned from those mistakes and emerged as a powerful leader, who dominated every aspect of Union strategy - political, economic and military.

More importantly, during the Civil War he alone stood rock solid in the belief that there could be no compromise with the Confederacy that would undermine the union of the United States. Later he extended his unwillingness to compromise to the issue of slavery. Thus, while others around wavered, Lincoln stood firm in the belief that the Union had to remain united and that slavery had to end.

This book was a joy to listen and I was enthralled by the rich and flowing narrative and the valuable insights I gained into the life of my favorite President. Lincoln was a master at manipulating those around him and, more importantly, at crafting a powerful message aimed at eliciting the support of other politicians and the American people.

back in the day when a President's moral authority shaped history..........2007-01-15

As a warning, this book isn't a standard biography. Reading it as an introduction to Lincoln would be simply disappointing. Instead, Carwardine has written a tightly focused essay on the president in the context of moral authority and power. The story centers around the development of Lincoln's moral thought, his growth as a politician, and how Lincoln's ideas and actions played out against the grand conflagration of slavery.

This is why Lincoln's earlier political career makes up a relatively large portion of the book, as it was then that Lincoln clearly distinguished his political positions. At this time what distinguished Lincoln politically was his refusal to allow any compromise with slavery's expansion into new states: he refuted the idea that slavery could coexist with the idea of a nation based on individual liberty. Where others (such as Stephen Douglas) were trying to negotiate compromise, Lincoln staked out a position that slavery allowed no in-between with freedom; the country must "become wholly one thing or the other."

Carwardine is particularly excellent on 19th century politics, describing in detail how political parties operated at that time, how the political public was formed and how electioneering was so different from today. He is also very good at describing the political maneuvering that resulted in Lincoln's election to the presidency - showing it not as a surprise win by a dark horse but instead as a deliberately plotted, calculated event.

Where this book might frustrate some is the narrowness of its focus - for instance as it lacks much discussion about of the military events of the Civil War, the book seems strangely detached from it. There is a brilliant chapter on the moral authority of the Union Army itself, but beyond this and the more usual descriptions of Lincoln's arguments with his generals, the war seems an oddly distant event.

Very overrated Lincoln biography!!!.......2006-11-15

I generally enjoy reading biographies, but this one was an exception! A very boring read! I did not think that Lincoln was being portrayed as overly religous as another reviewer did, but I seriously doubt that lincoln had evangelical inclinations. I was dissapointed in the lack of overall perspective of Lincoln's life. I feel that there was too much concentration on Lincoln the politician (his political development) and not enough about his family and social life. I wanted to know Lincoln better on a personal level and I did not feel that this book provided much insight. I may have been expecting too much, but I prefer a biographry that maintains my interest rather than puting me to sleep, as this one frequently did.

Average customer rating:

Very good, but flawed.
Disappointing Book from Brilliant Author
Stellar biography ...
well-written and well-researched
Terrific biography of Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln
David Herbert Donald
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 068482535X

Book Description

David Herbert Donald's Lincoln is a

stunningly original portrait of Lincoln's life

and presidency. Donald brilliantly

depicts Lincoln's gradual ascent from humble

beginnings in rural Kentucky to the ever- expanding

political circles in Illinois, and finally to the

presidency of a country divided by civil war.

Donald goes beyond biography, illuminating the

gradual development of Lincoln's character,

chronicling his tremendous capacity for evolution

and growth, thus illustrating what made it possible

for a man so inexperienced and so unprepared

for the presidency to become a great moral leader.

In the most troubled of times, here was a man

who led the country out of slavery and preserved

a shattered Union -- in short, one of the greatest

presidents this country has ever seen.

Customer Reviews:

Very good, but flawed........2007-08-27

Donald has written a defining biography of Lincoln. For once, we get to know the man.

But Donald's approach sometimes seeks to make Lincoln banal simply to demythologize him. Telling the story straight would have been enough.

As an example of how he does this and presupposes much more than he could possibly know, Donald states that Abraham and Mary Lincoln only had four children after many years of marriage so they must have used birth control (forgive me for not having the page number handy).

This is just silly. Grinding axes, or trying to shock with sexual speculation is bad history.

The book is very good, and well worth the read. But bring a critical mind so you can sort some of the author's overstretch.

Disappointing Book from Brilliant Author.......2007-08-24

David Donald has for years produced many brilliant histories. This volume is not one of them. It may have been written with "Best Seller" tag in mind, it may be meant for the largest popular readership. If so it succeeds. It is not written for the student of Lincoln and the civil War who is looking for dresh insight into the man and his times.

Stellar biography ..........2007-06-12

This is a superb history written by a brilliant historian. If you want to learn about Lincoln's life in depth, this is the place to start. You not only get an exemplary biography, but you also get the notes, references, and citations that Donald has assembled from a lifetime of research, study, and teaching.

Most of us got little more about Lincoln in our school history classes than a thumbnail sketch. This magnificent work corrects that. I came away completely awestruck at Lincoln's life history. Donald's biography succeeds in bringing home to the reader the magnitude of Lincoln's rise from desperate poverty and frontier circumstances to become one of America's greatest Presidents.

Reward yourself and read this book: It's an unbelievable story well told.

well-written and well-researched.......2007-05-31

Donald has written a very satisfying biography of Abraham Lincoln. As he concedes in his preface, it is not a history of the Civil War. In fact, Donald devotes the first 250 pages of the book to Lincoln's career and life prior to becoming president - some of it in very excruciating and dry detail. The latter 350 pages were a much quicker and enjoyable read, but although set in the context of secession and war, Donald focuses largely on the Washington political scene.

"Lincoln" reminds us of the intense disharmony and discord in both the government and the country during the war, and Lincoln's deftness in keeping the diverse coalitions together and balancing both the altruistic and selfish agendas of the myriad of factions. Even our greatest president was forced to embrace the petty politics so evident today, both to run the government as well as to stay elected. The book is full of imagery of Lincoln coolly, calmly and patiently handling the complaining from all over the country, infighting among his political family, and rival Congressmen trying to topple and undermine his administration. Ironically, much of the spiteful conflict Lincoln dealt with was the result of the rivalry for his esteem and affections, whether it was Seward and Chase, Stanton and Welles, or Mary and Herndon. As Donald said, "it was a problem that Lincoln, like other men of enormous personal magnetism, had dealt with throughout his life." And while conflict physically took its toll, Lincoln also appeared to draw energy from it.

Also amazing is Lincoln's capacity to forgive and dismiss grudges, as evidenced by his appointment of Stanton to Secretary of War after a severe personal slight years earlier, appointment of Chase to Supreme Court justice despite his disloyal and scheming to steal the 1864 nomination, and continued friendship with Sumner despite frequent opposition to Lincoln's policy. And of course, there is his boundless patience with his own wife's selfishness, immaturity, and impetuousness which appeared to be a constant source of torment and embarrassment for him.

While Donald perpetuated the Lincoln myth of greatness, he avoided deification of his subject. He did not hesitate to identify Lincoln's shortcomings, such as the neglecting of Robert Lincoln during the childhood years, his meddling in his generals' military matters, his impractical ideas for colonization, and the disorganized management of his cabinet and administration.

Although the preface made it clear that Donald "focuses on Lincoln himself - on what he knew, when he knew it, and why he made his decisions", the reader may be shocked at the book's abrupt ending at Lincoln's death. Readers may be left desperately wanting more information on what happened next, at least like an epilogue type chapter similar to how Doris Kearns Goodwin ended "Team of Rivals".

Regardless, Donald's biography is well-written and well-researched and well worth a read for those interested in Lincoln.

Terrific biography of Abraham Lincoln.......2007-05-06

This is a rock solid biography of Abraham Lincoln. The biography is richened by the availability since 1947 of the Abraham Lincoln papers, not hitherto available since they were sealed in 1890. As much as possible the author uses primary sources and liberally uses Lincoln's own words. At the outset, Donald makes a few observations about Lincoln. For instance, he notes that (page 14) ". . .this biography highlights a basic trait of character evident throughout Lincoln's life: the essential passivity of his nature." Lincoln himself once said that (page 15) "I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me." That is, Lincoln responded to changes in circumstances. Donald also notes that (Page 15) "From Lincoln's fatalism derived some of his most lovable traits: his compassion, his tolerance, his willingness to overlook mistakes."

The book begins, traditionally enough, with a look at his family's history, his birth, his movement from Kentucky to eventually settle in Illinois. Key experiences were the death of his mother, his early exposure to books and consequent development of an appetite to read. In 1831, he began life on his own. Over the next decade, he tried many occupations--from carpenter to riverboat man to clerk to postmaster to lawyer and to politician. His life in New Salem was pleasant enough, but it was when he moved to Springfield that his trajectory began really to rise. His law practice and political involvement grounded him in the larger community.

His political career was certainly modest enough for someone who became president (hence, some reviewers noting the paucity of experience, making him one of the least credentialed presidents in American history). His marriage to Mary Todd helped with the often melancholic nature of his life. His political career took off with the Lincoln-Douglas debates in his unsuccessful effort to derail Stephen Douglas' re-election campaign to the United States Senate. Lincoln made a speaking tour and began to gain notice. When the 1860 Republican convention deadlocked, he became nominated as president as the fallback candidate. Once elected, as the book speaks to well, he selected a uniquely headstrong and eminent cabinet, including in it a number of failed presidential hopefuls from the 1860 convention.

The volume also speaks in detail about the human side of his presiding over the Civil War. If you want details about campaigns and battles, this is not the book for you. However, his portrayal of Lincoln on a very human level is nicely done. One can experience Lincoln's back and forthing on slavery and emancipation; one can feel his anguish as he sees that his generals early in the war "don't get it," and so on.

The book concludes with the assassination and the telling phrase by Secretary of War Edwin Stanton as Lincoln breathed his last (page 599): "Now he belongs to the ages."

This is an excellent volume, jam packed with details, and depicting nicely Abraham Lincoln, the human being. Well worth adding to one's Abraham Lincoln collection.

Lincoln Unmasked: What You're Not Supposed to Know About Dishonest Abe

Average customer rating:

A Bombshell of information!
Things you won't hear anywhere else
best book in years!!
all about the messenger rather than the message
Hogswallop

Lincoln Unmasked: What You're Not Supposed to Know About Dishonest Abe
Thomas Dilorenzo
Manufacturer: Crown Forum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 030733841X
Release Date: 2006-10-10

Book Description

What if you were told that the revered leader Abraham Lincoln was actually a political tyrant who stifled his opponents by suppressing their civil rights? What if you learned that the man so affectionately referred to as the “Great Emancipator” supported white supremacy and pledged not to interfere with slavery in the South? Would you suddenly start to question everything you thought you knew about Lincoln and his presidency?

You should.

Thomas J. DiLorenzo, who ignited a fierce debate about Lincoln’s legacy with his book The Real Lincoln, now presents a litany of stunning new revelations that explode the most enduring (and pernicious) myths about our sixteenth president. Marshaling an astonishing amount of new evidence, Lincoln Unmasked offers an alarming portrait of a political manipulator and opportunist who bears little resemblance to the heroic, stoic, and principled figure of mainstream history.

Did you know that Lincoln . . .

• did NOT save the union? In fact, Lincoln did more than any other individual to destroy the voluntary union the Founding Fathers recognized.

• did NOT want to free the slaves? Lincoln, who did not believe in equality of the races, wanted the Constitution to make slavery “irrevocable.”

• was NOT a champion of the Constitution? Contrary to his high-minded rhetoric, Lincoln repeatedly trampled on the Constitution—and even issued an arrest warrant for the chief justice of the United States!

• was NOT a great statesman? Lincoln was actually a warmonger who manipulated his own people into a civil war.

• did NOT utter many of his most admired quotations? DiLorenzo exposes a legion of statements that have been falsely attributed to Lincoln for generations—usually to enhance his image.

In addition to detailing Lincoln’s offenses against the principles of freedom, equality, and states’ rights, Lincoln Unmasked exposes the vast network of academics, historians, politicians, and other “gatekeepers” who have sanitized his true beliefs and willfully distorted his legacy. DiLorenzo reveals how the deification of Lincoln reflects a not-so-hidden agenda to expand the size and scope of the American state far beyond what the Founding Fathers envisioned—an expansion that Lincoln himself began.

The hagiographers have shaped Lincoln’s image to the point that it has become more fiction than fact. With Lincoln Unmasked, DiLorenzo shows us an Abraham Lincoln without the rhetoric, lies, and political bias that have clouded a disastrous president’s enduring damage to the nation.

Customer Reviews:

A Bombshell of information!.......2007-10-13

This book by Dr. Thomas DiLorenzo explodes the Lincoln Myth that, sadly, has been perpetuated for so long. Lincoln was hardly the 'sweetheart' that everyone is taught. The man was a financial opportunist, making big bucks for himself off the railroads. To gain more money for himself, he ran for president, and after gaining the office, led his country through massive lies that the country is still digging out of today!

Things you won't hear anywhere else.......2007-10-05

This is an excellent book for anyone looking to learn more about President Abraham Lincoln. This is one book that is not afraid to look at the truth and ask the hard questions about his presidency, his policies and the war. I would recommend this to anyone who is tired of the politically correct hero worship of President Lincoln.

best book in years!!.......2007-08-23

Those who want to read and understand the real history of Lincoln that has never made it into public school teachings, have an invaluable source with Tom Dilorenzo. History of the myth of Lincoln and the War of northern aggression have been absent from the big government controlled public schools, while American states citizens dont realize, or choose to ignore for economic, social, political reasons, the truth of Lincoln's beliefs, views and his party attitudes towards him.

Whats so truthful is how his party(Republican)manipulated his image away from his pro-white and sessionist views into a savior to the American population post the war. It so exposes the lies and deceit he and Sec of state Seward perpetrated in THEIR OWN WORDS on the American population. They used their "please your enemy" on the surface political approaches, while sneaking behind the scenes with their real agenda of centralizing businesses under governmental control with taxes and tariffs!! Drawing fire on Ft. Sumter (protecting a main tariff collection point in Charleston) was always a known tactic and its nice to see it confirmed.

The special interests of the day and the republican involved in banking and railroads, and the tariffs the government dumped on the population at northern businesses request, made certain groups and special interests cash positive at the expense of others. This invoked changes in the nature of the individual and free markets of the first 80+ years of the real constitution. Lots of political patronage efforts with land giveaways are enlightening and forgotten as to why it was done at the time.

People need to be reminded the government was and still is, giving things away to dumb down the population. No wonder the south was angry and seceeded, and freeing black people from the oppression of slavery had NOTHING to do with it. It sounds noble, but was never true

all about the messenger rather than the message.......2007-06-25

This is a curious book.

Primarily it is a cut and paste job from other sources. DiLorenzo liberally, almost exclusively, quotes other books and articles. In fact, due to this liberal use of double-quotes it is frequently difficult to tell his words from the others. The general effect is nothing more than a review of recent anti-Lincoln scholarship and critiques. In doing so, he trumpets himself as the scholar of the 'true' Lincoln. However, his critique of Lincoln scholarship ignores the most of the new work done in the last 3 decades or so.

The greatest failing of the book is its lack of almost all historical background and context. Conclusions are presented "de facto", typically with nothing more than 'we say so', rather than any attempt at vigorous historical methodology.

In many cases, DiLorenzo stretches credulity. Once, for instance, he compares Sherman's bombardment of Atlanta with the potential 'carpet-bombing' of Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco

DiLorenzo 'demolishes' several Lincoln myths. All well and good, but I sincerely doubt that the 'myths' so lovingly demolished are such in anyone's mind than the authors. He gives no references to Lincoln writing, biographies or other works promoting the 'myths'. Additionally he 'proves' that a handful of Lincoln 'quotes' are not from Lincoln, Again, the quotes are not rolling-off-the-tongue, common Lincoln attributions and DiLorenzo provides no direction as to where these quotes are used in the Lincoln historiography. DiLorenzo seems appalled that Lincoln, a non-Christian, would use the Bible for moral guidance. After a couple of brief chapters, DiLorenzo inserts a tangential chapter on the 'The myth of morally superior Yankee', in which Lincoln's name appears less than a handful of times and then only parenthetically!

Other parts of the book border on the ridiculous.

In reviewing the important social and economic legislation, DiLorenzo looks at 19th century advances from his vantage point 150 years later. He derides the 'high-priced steel' caused by tariffs as a 'hindrance'. It is difficult to fathom a history of manufacturing more robust than the half century after Appomattox. He shoos this aside by saying, industry developed 'in spite of the tariff'.

Land grant colleges are targeted as a 'mixed blessing' due to 'today's plague of political correctness'. Apparently the tens of millions of graduates in education, engineering, medicine, agriculture, the law, economics and other fields do not count for much.

The author continues his personal history of confused facts. Among a number: he states that 75% of white southern military-aged men were either killed or maimed for life in the war, and that the Southern slave population was only 3% of its total.

All in all, DiLorenzo continues his practice of measuring Lincoln's actions with his own ivory-tower intentions. As with his previous books, we learn more about the messenger than the message. DiLorenzo appears to be afraid of change. His Lincoln of 1862 is the same Lincoln of 1838, as if the man did not move through time and experience, and any change and maturing of views is seen as weakness.

Hogswallop.......2007-06-15

I don't know, perhaps the teaching of history has declined since I learned it way back when, but I've heard all of this before. Indeed, I learned some of the main points from those Dilorenzo calls "the Lincoln cult." Consequently, I don't dispute most of the facts that the author puts forward. I do argue with Dilorenzo's interpretation of history, his view of government, and even what he considers desirable. What really irks me, however, is the shopworn rhetorical strategy he adopts: a Conspiracy of Evil has prevented a just estimation of things. It gets a little tiresome, particularly when the brush is so broad and the tar so liberally (you should pardon the expression) applied. Unless you want to hear questions begged and second-hand news broadcast as revelation, read a real book on Lincoln instead.

The Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War

Average customer rating:

Read only if you want to learn
The Real Lincoln
We weren't taught this in school
We'e all been lied to..........
LINCOLN THE DESPOT

The Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War
Thomas Dilorenzo
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0761526463
Release Date: 2003-12-02

Book Description

A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War
Most Americans consider Abraham Lincoln to be the greatest president in history. His legend as the Great Emancipator has grown to mythic proportions as hundreds of books, a national holiday, and a monument in Washington, D.C., extol his heroism and martyrdom. But what if most everything you knew about Lincoln were false? What if, instead of an American hero who sought to free the slaves, Lincoln were in fact a calculating politician who waged the bloodiest war in american history in order to build an empire that rivaled Great Britain's? In The Real Lincoln, author Thomas J. DiLorenzo uncovers a side of Lincoln not told in many history books and overshadowed by the immense Lincoln legend.
Through extensive research and meticulous documentation, DiLorenzo portrays the sixteenth president as a man who devoted his political career to revolutionizing the American form of government from one that was very limited in scope and highly decentralized—as the Founding Fathers intended—to a highly centralized, activist state. Standing in his way, however, was the South, with its independent states, its resistance to the national government, and its reliance on unfettered free trade. To accomplish his goals, Lincoln subverted the Constitution, trampled states' rights, and launched a devastating Civil War, whose wounds haunt us still. According to this provacative book, 600,000 American soldiers did not die for the honorable cause of ending slavery but for the dubious agenda of sacrificing the independence of the states to the supremacy of the federal government, which has been tightening its vise grip on our republic to this very day.
You will discover a side of Lincoln that you were probably never taught in school—a side that calls into question the very myths that surround him and helps explain the true origins of a bloody, and perhaps, unnecessary war.

"A devastating critique of America's most famous president."
— Joseph Sobran, commentator and nationally syndicated columnist

"Today's federal government is considerably at odds with that envisioned by the framers of the Constitution. Thomas J. DiLorenzo gives an account of How this come about in The Real Lincoln."
— Walter E. Williams, from the foreword

"A peacefully negotiated secession was the best way to handle all the problems facing Americans in 1860. A war of coercion was Lincoln's creation. It sometimes takes a century or more to bring an important historical event into perspective. This study does just that and leaves the reader asking, 'Why didn't we know this before?'"
— Donald Livingston, professor of philosophy, Emory University

"Professor DiLorenzo has penetrated to the very heart and core of American history with a laser beam of fact and analysis."
— Clyde Wilson, professor of history, University of South Carolina, and editor, The John C. Calhoun Papers

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

Read only if you want to learn.......2007-10-03

This book is very detailed and thorough, I don't think you will be let down. If you thought Abe Lincoln freed slaves and loved everyone and was honest as long as his face, you will be in for a big surprise. The author explains THE REAL LINCOLN as someone who was just as racist as almost all the northers. Lincoln never had any plans of freeing slaves but making sure the central government came together. This President issued martial law in many southern states just so he could get his way; this president jailed many editors of newspapers in the NORTH because they were against the civil war; this president lead a war that killed 600,000 men, women, and children.
Dilorenzo from the very beginning of the book explains there were close to a dozen countries that were ending slavery peacefully and even explains that it wouldn't have been worth having slavely since the indistural revolution was starting. Why did Lincoln cause a civil war over something that was ending peacefully everywhere else? Because he wanted to institute the centralized government. If you think all southerns were racists and the only ones, you will learn that many northerns wanted to send all blacks back to Africa.
I think you will be glad to add this book to your library. I know I was. I simply bought this book because I did not know very much about Lincoln but Dilorenzo sure cleared that up.
Enjoy everyone!

The Real Lincoln.......2007-09-04

A real eye opener, should be required reading for every school age child begining in the 6th grade and studied in every high school history class.

We weren't taught this in school.......2007-08-27

Disturbing book. The states had a right to secede from the union. This was accepted at the time. The right of secession is in fact a key to controlling the powers of a central government.

Lincoln entered the war without congressional approval, calling it a "rebellion". He suspended the writ of Habeas Corpus without approval from Congress. The Supreme Court said that this was not constitutional, but Lincoln ignored it. Lincoln then took control of the newspapers, imprisoning without trial on the order of 13,000 people, including many people who voiced opposition to him.

The Northern armies, as is well documented, plundered the southern countryside: destroying homes, killing innocent women and children, killing livestock and burning crops. All this to save the Union.

Lincoln was The Great Centralizer. With him began the American Empire. This was continued after the Civil War with Manifest Destiny and the destruction of the Indian Nations.

We'e all been lied to.................2007-07-23

.....by our teachers, who were lied to by theirs. We were taught that the Civil War was about slavery, and that Abe Lincoln was a secular saint, a man who believed in equality for all, and who saved the greatness of America. These are all lies.

The Civil War has its origins in the founding of America, where two competing systems fought for ascendency. Was America to be Federalist, an organic whole [Washington, Adams, John Marshall]? Or were we to be Democratic, to form a voluntary Compact of free, and independent states[Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Spencer Roane]? To have one voice, and an iron fist, dealing with foreigners, but an infinity of free voices at home. This is part [only part] of the famous Jefferson/Marshall feud.

In the early 1800's, Henry Clay advanced his American System, which aimed at centralization via a National Bank, protective tariffs, and [government funded] internal improvements. John Marshall was his judicial voice, Spencer Roane the voice of opposition. But, Clay and Marshall were NOT evil men. They loved America, but had ideas differing from those of the founders about how to make it great. Alas, by 1860, The Great Chief Justice and The Great Compromiser were dead.....

...enter Abe, a brilliant apostle of Henry Clay. Lincoln realized that if centralization was to win out, a civil war would be needed to crush the South once and for all. The Civil War was not over slavery; it was a war to insure northern economic domination. Slavery could have been ended at any point by compensated emancipation. It would have ended anyway, made economically untenable by changing times. Yes, slavery was wrong, but it was also stupid, destructive of those who used it.

Lincoln was able to precipitate a civil war, then, for four long years, he trampled the Constitution he was sworn to uphold. Legislators, and journalists, were jailed. War crimes were committed in our own land. A man who, on public record as racist as any Klansman, called for emancipation to keep England and France out of the war.

Up to Appomattox, the right [NOT wisdom] of secession was assumed to be inherent in the Federal Compact known as the Constitution. Earlier overtures at secession [by Northern states] were opposed as unwise, not as illegal.

Abraham Lincoln was one of the most evil men who ever walked the earth. He was quite willing to kill 660,000 Americans in a war over economic theory. This absolutely superb book dares to tell the truth. I may disagree with the author on some points: I do NOT number US Grant with the war criminals; he was a great and decent man. Dr. DiLorenzo gives Abe blame for Hitler's 6,000,000 Jews; that's too strong even for me, but he sure makes a case[whatever his faults, Lincoln was not an anti Semite]. For all this, the murder of Lincoln was a profound tragedy; some of his Congressional followers were far worse, and most were incompetent.

You may disagree with everything I say. You may call me a fool. You may even consider Abe a secular deity. That's OK; we are still Americans. The land of Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry still lives. But, you need to read this book; you not only have a right to know the truth, you have an obligation.

LINCOLN THE DESPOT.......2007-06-15

Dilorenzo calls into question the Lincoln legacy, citing a litany of constitutional abuses by Lincoln in his quest for war, his discriminate & mercantile economic policies that belittled and betrayed the ideas behind the American Revolution, and Abe's supremacist beliefs that fly in the face of his "Great Emancipator" label.

This book is for anyone who knew there was more to "Honest" Abe and the motives for the Civil War than what was taught in high school, and wants to discover the ideology and politics of Lincoln that drove him to initiate such a hostile approach to states rights and commandeer the federal government to the point of anointing himself king.

Lincoln worshipers beware - you will either be enlightened or offended, depending on whether or not you have an agenda.

As Dilorenzo exposes, Lincoln's agenda was not in the spirit of freedom and the emancipation of slaves, but rather that of a tyrant hell-bent on imposing his will in order to give birth to a heavy handed, tax happy, anti-capitalist centralized government - state sovereignty be damned.

Abraham Lincoln: Man Behind the Myths, The

Average customer rating:

A Man Greater than the Myths
A Concise, Readable Study of our Greatest President.
It did not elaborate on the question of Lincoln's parentage.
Separating mythos from the mortal

Abraham Lincoln: Man Behind the Myths, The
Stephen B. Oates
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060924721

Book Description

Stephen B. Oates discerns the historical truth from the mythical legend that surrounds Lincoln in this original and fascinating portrait of America's 16th president.

Customer Reviews:

A Man Greater than the Myths.......2006-06-29

In this small but valuable volume, Oates explores the reality beyond the two sources of Lincoln myth: the primary myth of a saintly and folkloric Lincoln of Carl Sandburg and a secondary myth of the 'white honky' Lincoln of the 1970's revisionists. Oates emphasizes that Lincoln drew deeply upon the "spirit of his age", which was a profoundly revolutionary time across the world. Oates relates how Lincoln absorbed one of the core lessons of America from the example of Henry Clay: : "in this country one can scarcely be so poor, but that, if he will, he can acquire sufficient education to get through the world respectably".

That slavery was the cause of the Civil War is beyond all doubt. As Oates explains, however, the North did not go to war to free the slaves. In the standard phrasing, the North went to war to 'preserve the union'. Oates explores Lincoln's fears that the spread of slavery in the wake of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Dred Scott decision would lead to the destruction of democratic society. The debate then still raged on the world stage whether a republican form of government could last. Lincoln rejected the "ingenious sophism" that states could freely leave the Union. "With rebellion thus sugar coated [southern leaders] have been drugging the public mind of their section for more than thirty years." Secession posed nothing less than a final challenge to popular government. If a minority could destroy the government any time it felt aggrieved, then no government could endure. Thus the war had to be fought to preserve not just the American Republic, but the possibility of republican government.

Lincoln did in fact oppose slavery from early on. His views on racial matters apart from slavery became more fully progressive over time. Lincoln, however, hoped that slavery would slowly melt away in a losing competition with free labor and that liberated slaves would resettle in Africa. It is part of Lincoln's greatness that he later gave up these views. Oates explores this evolution in his thinking. Oates debunks the notion that the Emancipation Proclamation was unimportant in liberating the slaves. Oates also refutes the notion that Lincoln would have favored an easy hand during Reconstruction. On the contrary, the evidence strongly suggests he would have led the so-called Radical Republicans.

Highly recommended for any reader with an interest in Lincoln, the Civil War era, or really pretty much any American.

A Concise, Readable Study of our Greatest President........2001-10-20

If you're interested in understanding what the man Abraham Lincoln was like, this is the book for you. This short, well-documented study of our sixteenth President cuts through the myths and the utter nonsense that have been written about Lincoln to expose the real hero behind these tales. This work shows Lincoln as the driven, courageous yet fallible man who never gave up on his dream of freedom for all men. Highly recommended!

It did not elaborate on the question of Lincoln's parentage........1999-09-19

As an amateur genealogist I discovered that I was a sixth cousin, five times removed to President Abraham Lincoln through the Lincoln and Holmes families. On page 21 ( Abraham Lincoln, The man Behind The Myths ) Mr. Oates wrote that there was a mistaken belief that Thomas Lincoln was not Abraham's real father rather it was a Senator John C. Calhoun or a Henry Clay. If this was true it would mean that I was not related to President Abraham Lincoln. How would such a rumour start ? Is there any documented evidence that Nancy Lincoln had an affair with one of these men while being married to Thomas Lincoln. At the time I am trying to locate Stephen B. Oates so I can get this matter cleared up. Sincerely, Mr. Blair E. Bartlett, 87 Shillington Road, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, E2J 4K7 1-506-696-6175

Separating mythos from the mortal.......1998-04-06

We invented Abraham Lincoln. Not the man, of course, but the myth, that solemn and statuesque giant memorialized eternally overlooking the Capitol mall. The power of that myth and the quiet dignity of its personage dwarfs us all. But the myth is not the man. Myths never are. Stephen Oates in his _Abraham Lincoln, The Man Behind the Myths_, does not seek to diminish the man but rather to clarify him, separating the mythos from the mortal. And it is not an undaunting task, it seems, for overly soon after Lincoln's tragic end the mills began to churn. The public's shredding of the White House interior for mementos while Mary Lincoln lay debilitated in the next room seems symbolic of the wolfpack mentality in Washington even today. And every new memoir published by another family acquaintance of the Lincoln's almost always got it wrong, and tore anew at the heart of the family. We may not have memorialized and glorified our modern-day tragic heroes to such an extent, for we have simultaneously tried to scandalize them. But the tabloid trade it seems has always been a yellow paper. Even Lincoln was vilified in his time and after. He was, Oates, reminds us, one of the most unpopular living presidents of our history. But though the legacy ballooned to heroic proportions after his passing, the man seems to have been lost in it all, remaining only in the hearts of the family leaving quietly and unattended down the steps of the White House never to return.

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