Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

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.

Highly recommended.

I don't read many biographies, but I have read a lot of research papers. This book is well-researched. Beyond it's academic character, this is an extremely well done biography of Lincoln and his cabinet. Team of Rivals is written in an honest and engaging way. We see the many successes, but also the failures and fallout of the various decisions and circumstances of the people in the book. After about 750 pages of reading, I feel like I personally know Lincoln and his cabinet. Further, I learned much about the climate, motivations, and complexities surrounding Lincoln's administration and the American Civil War. It confirms the classic tales I've learned in grade school, but goes all the deeper and richer. By the end of the book, I was reminded why is a timeless, yet unlikely, American hero that should make citizens of the United States of America proud to be Americans despite the real issues that we deal with.

Buy this book. ( )

An amazing, in-depth, and thorough look at the behind the scenes clashes and camaraderie of Abraham Lincoln's presidency. Goodwin does a great job of making you really feel the personalities of the people, their ups and their downs, while she shows how the men around Lincoln went from viewing him as an unlikely upstart to their captain. ( )

Political life of Abe Lincoln - with large focus on those around him ( )

What a fantastic book. I didn't even agree with many of Goodwin's conclusions, and I still loved it. By far the best narrative story I've ever read about Lincoln--something he would probably appreciate. ( )