Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
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- Create Date：2021-06-22 09:56:17
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- Author：Doris Kearns Goodwin
- ISBN：0743270754
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Summary
Winner of the Lincoln Prize
Acclaimed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin illuminates Lincoln's political genius in this highly original work， as the one-term congressman and prairie lawyer rises from obscurity to prevail over three gifted rivals of national reputation to become president。
On May 18， 1860， William H。 Seward， Salmon P。 Chase， Edward Bates， and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention in Chicago。 When Lincoln emerged as the victor， his rivals were dismayed and angry。
Throughout the turbulent 1850s， each had energetically sought the presidency as the conflict over slavery was leading inexorably to secession and civil war。 That Lincoln succeeded， Goodwin demonstrates， was the result of a character that had been forged by experiences that raised him above his more privileged and accomplished rivals。 He won because he possessed an extraordinary ability to put himself in the place of other men， to experience what they were feeling， to understand their motives and desires。
It was this capacity that enabled Lincoln as president to bring his disgruntled opponents together， create the most unusual cabinet in history， and marshal their talents to the task of preserving the Union and winning the war。
We view the long， horrifying struggle from the vantage of the White House as Lincoln copes with incompetent generals， hostile congressmen， and his raucous cabinet。 He overcomes these obstacles by winning the respect of his former competitors， and in the case of Seward， finds a loyal and crucial friend to see him through。
This brilliant multiple biography is centered on Lincoln's mastery of men and how it shaped the most significant presidency in the nation's history。
Acclaimed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin illuminates Lincoln's political genius in this highly original work， as the one-term congressman and prairie lawyer rises from obscurity to prevail over three gifted rivals of national reputation to become president。
On May 18， 1860， William H。 Seward， Salmon P。 Chase， Edward Bates， and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention in Chicago。 When Lincoln emerged as the victor， his rivals were dismayed and angry。
Throughout the turbulent 1850s， each had energetically sought the presidency as the conflict over slavery was leading inexorably to secession and civil war。 That Lincoln succeeded， Goodwin demonstrates， was the result of a character that had been forged by experiences that raised him above his more privileged and accomplished rivals。 He won because he possessed an extraordinary ability to put himself in the place of other men， to experience what they were feeling， to understand their motives and desires。
It was this capacity that enabled Lincoln as president to bring his disgruntled opponents together， create the most unusual cabinet in history， and marshal their talents to the task of preserving the Union and winning the war。
We view the long， horrifying struggle from the vantage of the White House as Lincoln copes with incompetent generals， hostile congressmen， and his raucous cabinet。 He overcomes these obstacles by winning the respect of his former competitors， and in the case of Seward， finds a loyal and crucial friend to see him through。
This brilliant multiple biography is centered on Lincoln's mastery of men and how it shaped the most significant presidency in the nation's history。
Reviews
Kara H。
，
The book is quite long - that is the only negative。 Team of Rivals is about the life of Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet members。 Doris Kearns Goodwin is a great historical writer。 Her writing is very fluid。 This book won the Pulitzer Prize for non-fiction。
Aviator
，
Too much details in the book which any non-US citizens will find it to be redundant。
Andy Dollahite
，
Meh。 Given the praise it received I expected it to be significantly better。 I still prefer Richard Carwadine's shorter book on Lincoln。 Meh。 Given the praise it received I expected it to be significantly better。 I still prefer Richard Carwadine's shorter book on Lincoln。 。。。more
BatMatt0072
，
The Notorious DKG droppin’ another banger of a book like the boss ass bitch she is
Allison
，
Amazing。
Charles MacDwyer
，
Very good and close to excellent in many parts！ But in a weird way it ends up focusing less on Lincoln himself than I would have preferred。 I realize it's about how Lincoln interacts w/ and plays off of his political allies and enemies， but there are times when it feels like Abe gets a little "turned down in the mix"， as some musicians say。 Very good and close to excellent in many parts！ But in a weird way it ends up focusing less on Lincoln himself than I would have preferred。 I realize it's about how Lincoln interacts w/ and plays off of his political allies and enemies， but there are times when it feels like Abe gets a little "turned down in the mix"， as some musicians say。 。。。more
Mira
，
If you want to read a book about Abraham Lincoln， which was the reason I tried to read this book， I don't think this is the best choice。 The first 120 pages （of 1，300！） revolve mostly around Lincoln's rivals who are just random 19th-century politicians to me， and not especially interesting at that。 The writing style of this book is very long-winded and verbose， which makes it very slow to read。 All in all， it is too boring and too long for me to finish。 If you want to read a book about Abraham Lincoln， which was the reason I tried to read this book， I don't think this is the best choice。 The first 120 pages （of 1，300！） revolve mostly around Lincoln's rivals who are just random 19th-century politicians to me， and not especially interesting at that。 The writing style of this book is very long-winded and verbose， which makes it very slow to read。 All in all， it is too boring and too long for me to finish。 。。。more
Samuel K Mutui
，
Would love to see a movie series based on this boo。 But I don't think it would do it justice。 Now I understand why all the praise on H。E Lincoln。 Would love to see a movie series based on this boo。 But I don't think it would do it justice。 Now I understand why all the praise on H。E Lincoln。 。。。more
Eric
，
Fantastic history。 Goodwin spends a great deal of time focusing on Lincoln's emotional relationships with members of the cabinet， occasionally at the expense of deeper historical context， but the relationships are so riveting that the choice makes sense。 Fantastic history。 Goodwin spends a great deal of time focusing on Lincoln's emotional relationships with members of the cabinet， occasionally at the expense of deeper historical context， but the relationships are so riveting that the choice makes sense。 。。。more
Andy
，
Excellent book。 Not too long。 Does a fantastic job of displaying Lincoln’s talents for unity and level headedness
Greg Hutchins
，
Worth every minute。 I loved this book and left a true admirer of President Lincoln。
Stephen Tankersley
，
Easy 5/5 stars
Charissa
，
This book is super long， but it was extremely fascinating。 I feel like I got so much complex information that helped me understand the intricacies of the Civil War better than I ever have。 It shows the Team of political rivals Lincoln brought together after he won the presidency in 1860， and how he masterfully brought them under his control and leadership to do what was best for the torn-apart country at that time without becoming any of their puppets （they were all strong puppet masters）。 The n This book is super long， but it was extremely fascinating。 I feel like I got so much complex information that helped me understand the intricacies of the Civil War better than I ever have。 It shows the Team of political rivals Lincoln brought together after he won the presidency in 1860， and how he masterfully brought them under his control and leadership to do what was best for the torn-apart country at that time without becoming any of their puppets （they were all strong puppet masters）。 The newly formed Republican party was a mess of factions （like now， although back then they had a better excuse why they were such a mess than they do now）。 Lincoln didn’t strike down his foes but made them his friends and helped bring about good where chaos reigned。 The book focuses mainly on Lincoln， Steward， Chase， Bates， and Stanton， who became members of his inner cabinet， but who had all run against him or gave him the cut years earlier。 They mostly came to love him （except for Chase， who seemed to only love himself）。 I have a new， deeper understanding and appreciation for Lincoln。 Some of his best attributes which made him such a unique leader and chief of the nation were his empathy， forgiving nature， and his ability to listen and connect the dots better than other politicians because he didn’t let his ego get in the way （ah！ Would that we could ever have a leader like him again。 I don’t know if it’s possible）。 Anyway， though I already knew the ending， I cried when Lincoln was assassinated and Steward attacked viciously by another assassin in on the plot。 I’ve been sad all morning because of his sad ending， like it just happened， because the book brought the inner workings of his presidency to life for me。 I listened to this on Audible and loved it。 。。。more
Charles Shenk
，
Very well researched bookIt is a book that is very appropriate for current times - a country dealing with racism and a pandemic。 It truly provides an understanding of our current crisis especially with racism and voting rights。 We could learn much from Abraham Lincoln's approach to the presidency。 Very well researched bookIt is a book that is very appropriate for current times - a country dealing with racism and a pandemic。 It truly provides an understanding of our current crisis especially with racism and voting rights。 We could learn much from Abraham Lincoln's approach to the presidency。 。。。more
Barbara
，
Excellent work， accessible， well-written， detailed， moving， everything a reader could hope for from any historian。 I especially appreciated how she tied together so many elements to illustrate the real genius Lincoln had。 It is so painful to think that， had he lived， his reconstruction efforts might have ameliorated the stranglehold that slavery continues to hold over our country。
Jenn
，
Excellent biography of Lincoln and his time in office。 It’s so sad that our political parties are so divided today。 And more sad that we haven’t had a respectable President that worked with the opposing party in decades。 Lincoln was undoubtedly the best President our nation has ever had。
Jerry Canterbury
，
I just finished “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln” by Doris Kearns Goodwin。 The book was an insightful， engaging， and ultimately moving biography of Abraham Lincoln， focusing primarily on his political life and especially on his presidential campaigns and administration。 If you are into history， I highly recommend this 2005 book。The book is lengthy， comprising 757 pages of content which it took me six weeks to complete。 Yet I found myself each day looking forward to comple I just finished “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln” by Doris Kearns Goodwin。 The book was an insightful， engaging， and ultimately moving biography of Abraham Lincoln， focusing primarily on his political life and especially on his presidential campaigns and administration。 If you are into history， I highly recommend this 2005 book。The book is lengthy， comprising 757 pages of content which it took me six weeks to complete。 Yet I found myself each day looking forward to completing another few pages。 The author has written several biographies and history books， including the Pulitzer Prize-winning “No Ordinary Time: Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II”。 The Lincoln biography itself won the Lincoln Prize， an annual award for the best scholarly work on Lincoln or the Civil War。 The biography also served as the basis for Steven Spielberg’s 2012 film “Lincoln” starring Daniel Day-Lewis。 What I quite enjoyed about this book is how much it revealed about Lincoln， his personality， his leadership ability， and his ability to earn loyalty and respect from former rivals。 So much of history， including the Civil War， is focused on “this battle occurred， then this battle occurred， then Lee surrendered – the end”。 This book revealed the personalities of the Cabinet secretaries and the generals Lincoln had to win to his side， and how he dealt with those who would not adhere to his policies and directions。Lincoln was frequently discounted as a lawyer or as a leader， especially in his youth。 He was admitted a bit unkempt and unfashionable， often dismissed as an uncouth Westerner from the frontier of Illinois in comparison to the refined and educated lawyers from the East。 Through the years， Lincoln wins over his critics through his personal folksy style and ability to understand how others will react in various circumstances。 Lincoln interacts with many leaders in government and business – owners of large companies， senators， governors – each of who believes he is capable of being president himself， and each of who finally realizes Lincoln is the better man。By the end of the war， Lincoln is beloved by his cabinet members， his generals， and his soldiers in the field。 One thing I was not aware of was Lincoln actually visited the battlefront multiple times， reviewing and greeting Union soldiers， and even visiting them in battlefield hospitals。 He was not averse to putting himself in harm’s way to understand how the war was going nor how his soldiers were faring。 Lincoln even visited the Confederate capital of Richmond in the days after it was captured by Union forces。The final chapter of the book was somewhat melancholy for me， knowing how things were going to end。 On Lincoln’s last full day – April 14， 1865， which happened to be Good Friday – many individuals reported on what happy spirits he was in。 Lee had surrendered at Appomattox less than a week earlier， presaging the war’s inevitable end。 General Grant attended the cabinet meeting to report on winding down the war。 Son Robert was home from the battlefront， and wife Mary was in good spirits。Many were devastated by Lincoln’s assassination。 For us， it was a historical event。 But for his friends， it was overwhelming。 For the nation， largely in awe of Lincoln for winning the war， it was distressing。 Even Southerners， knowing Lincoln did not plan to extract “a pound of flesh” from the rebellious states as some politicians wish， were upset by his assassination。Again， I highly recommend this book。 I am going to put one of Goodwin’s other books on my reading list， probably the Roosevelt biography I mentioned above。 。。。more
Kumar Jayant
，
So little did I know about this great being！The books is a handy work of scrupulously crafted verbatim and tell tales， the supreme memoir that ever is or will be。 But it’s not the book that held me， it’s the man- I never knew the great man beyond his quotes and legends。 This tale narrates the man Lincoln was， his fallibilities， his gullibilities， his nativities and his ascendency to leadership without any pretence or makeup and with clarity of purpose and honesty of intent。 His child like joy in So little did I know about this great being！The books is a handy work of scrupulously crafted verbatim and tell tales， the supreme memoir that ever is or will be。 But it’s not the book that held me， it’s the man- I never knew the great man beyond his quotes and legends。 This tale narrates the man Lincoln was， his fallibilities， his gullibilities， his nativities and his ascendency to leadership without any pretence or makeup and with clarity of purpose and honesty of intent。 His child like joy in little things is a lesson to modern day ‘us’， the ones who surround ourselves in physical comforts and still yearn for more。 His ability to take criticism and still keep his chin up， to manoeuvre through tight spots and seek assistance with clean heart when not able to wriggle out。 Finally his innateness of being nice and to touch everyone whom he came across in person or otherwise is a lesson to modern day leaders both in business and politics。 If the man wanted， he could have an easy presidency but he chose the hard one with his team of rivals and thus became the indelible honest Abe！ 。。。more
Simon J Alvey
，
As much as I can respect this book， and recognize its scholarship， I can't claim that I particularly enjoyed it。 I found it a long read and I found it dragged， however it has moments of real clarity and wonderful writing。 As much as I can respect this book， and recognize its scholarship， I can't claim that I particularly enjoyed it。 I found it a long read and I found it dragged， however it has moments of real clarity and wonderful writing。 。。。more
Katie Stratton
，
Learned a lot， also interesting having read simultaneously as GwtW about the fall of Atlanta， start and end of the Civil War， etc。 to see parallels even though GwtW steers very clear of major historical events。 It was not as captivating as some other biographies I’ve read though
Hermano
，
An amazing book。 Reminiscent of the excellent documentary The Civil War。 Equal parts entertains， fascinating and poignant history of a very great man。 Abraham Lincoln certainly belongs to ages。
Joe Pratt
，
Fantastic book。 Like every other kid who grew up in America， I've always admired Lincoln。 Reading this book showed me just how great of a man he was。 I was most impressed with his understanding of himself。 He knew his limits and when he was reaching them he knew how to rejuvenate himself。 He knew when to check himself （writing but never mailing harsh letters） to avoid hurting or offending others when he himself was overtaxed。 I also loved his ability to set aside his personal ambitions， offenses Fantastic book。 Like every other kid who grew up in America， I've always admired Lincoln。 Reading this book showed me just how great of a man he was。 I was most impressed with his understanding of himself。 He knew his limits and when he was reaching them he knew how to rejuvenate himself。 He knew when to check himself （writing but never mailing harsh letters） to avoid hurting or offending others when he himself was overtaxed。 I also loved his ability to set aside his personal ambitions， offenses， and desires for the discovery of furtherance of truth。 If Gaby would let me， I'd name one of our future sons Lincoln in his honor。 I'll probably never reread this book even though it was super engaging and I never got bored with it。 The difficulty is it is very long。 Still， I would definitely take advantage of an opportunity to read another Lincoln biography。 I'm so glad I read this book！ 。。。more
Ed Visser
，
Probably the best biography of Lincoln from a first rate historian
Greg Hall
，
My father， upon reading this book， has since always said that anyone in charge of leading anything should read this book。 This is not a book about the Civil War。 It is a book whose second act is set against the backdrop of the Civil War。 As a whole， this tome brings you into the lives of people who were regarded as the most important of their age， who all found themselves serving at the pleasure of a country lawyer。 Lincoln’s brilliance in bringing together this group （many of whom were his poli My father， upon reading this book， has since always said that anyone in charge of leading anything should read this book。 This is not a book about the Civil War。 It is a book whose second act is set against the backdrop of the Civil War。 As a whole， this tome brings you into the lives of people who were regarded as the most important of their age， who all found themselves serving at the pleasure of a country lawyer。 Lincoln’s brilliance in bringing together this group （many of whom were his political opponents） and navigating his cabinet’s large egos， while getting the best out of each of them is astonishing。 Doris Kearns Goodwin wrote a masterful work on Lincoln the man， Lincoln the President， and Lincoln the leader。 A few additional thoughts that I had stemming from this book。 （mostly for me， but if you’ve gotten this far， I’m sure you’ll find them useful as well）1。 Surround yourself with opposing viewpoints。 They will force you to think through your course of action from directions you may not have thought of。 2。 Don’t hold a grudge。 It just makes the world more difficult。 3。 Don’t be afraid to admit when you’re wrong。 4。 If you have to make a big speech， don’t give away the farm beforehand。 5。 Laugh。6。 Don’t give up on yourself。 。。。more
George Schooley
，
This book gave me some sense that politicians can be good people。 Lincoln comes across as a truly caring person who can change his convictions and belief as he gains understanding and perspective。 I love how the author showed the wide range of beliefs and political motivations in the US through the eyes of Lincoln’s cabinet。 The book is very well written and full of thoroughly researched detail。
Danyon Low
，
the journey of abraham lincoln from his humble beginnings to the white house， and through one of the most tumultuous times of USA history， was truly incredible。 it was inspiring to read about this man who was so generous in spirit and consistently embodied moral leadership， as he navigated through the highest euphorias and the most depressing of tragedies。 highly recommend！
Jonathan
，
So much more than the movie that popularized it。 Masterful in narrating not just the life of America’s most beloved president， but much of the world that revolved around him。 You will come to a greater appreciation of Lincoln the husband， the father， the diplomat， the statesman， the friend， the patriot and a man whose ability to grow and learn and love outpaced those around him， but who didn’t leave them behind， but brought them with him。 He truly does belong to the ages。
Paul
，
I've been meaning to read this book for years， and then found it at one of those little free library boxes a month or two ago。 Kearns Goodwin is covering well worn tracks， but her focus on the highly talented but potentially fractious members of Lincoln's Cabinet， as well as the man's tremendous empathy （which served him a politician and leader） reveal new dimensions。 And Kearns Goodwin is a great writer。 I've been meaning to read this book for years， and then found it at one of those little free library boxes a month or two ago。 Kearns Goodwin is covering well worn tracks， but her focus on the highly talented but potentially fractious members of Lincoln's Cabinet， as well as the man's tremendous empathy （which served him a politician and leader） reveal new dimensions。 And Kearns Goodwin is a great writer。 。。。more
Joanne Adams
，
This was problem one of my best historical non-fiction books I have ever read。 DKG I phenomenal as an author。 I loved the all of the side facts sprinkled through you the book。 No doubt Lincoln was a genius and one of the best presidents we have ever had。
Blake
，