Differ We Must
How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America
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An instant New York Times bestseller
A nuanced exploration of Abraham Lincoln’s political acumen, illuminating a great politician’s strategy in a country divided—and lessons for our own disorderly present
In 1855, with the United States at odds over slavery, the lawyer Abraham Lincoln wrote a note to his best friend, the son of a Kentucky slaveowner. Lincoln rebuked his friend for failing to oppose slavery. But he added: “If for this you and I must differ, differ we must,” and said they would be friends for-ever. Throughout his life and political career, Lincoln often agreed to disagree. Democracy demanded it, since even an adversary had a vote. The man who went on to become America’s sixteenth president has assumed many roles in our historical consciousness, but most notable is that he was, unapologetically, a politician. And as Steve Inskeep argues, it was because he was willing to engage in politics—meeting with critics, sometimes working with them and other times outwitting them—that he was able to lead a social revolution.
In Differ We Must, Inskeep illuminates Lincoln’s life through sixteen encounters, some well-known, some obscure, but all imbued with new significance. As the host of NPR’s Morning Edition for almost two decades, Inskeep has mastered the art of bridging divides and building constructive debate in interviews; here, he brings his skills to bear on a prior master, forming a fresh and compelling narrative of Lincoln’s life. With rich detail and enlightening commentary, Inskeep expands our understanding of a politician who held strong to his moral compass while navigating between corrosive political factions, one who began his career in the minority party and not only won the majority but succeeded in uniting a nation.
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Abraham Lincoln's ambidextrous political acumen is the focus of journalist and public radio personality Inskeep (Imperfect Union) in this eclectic assortment of encounters Lincoln had with those who quarrelled with him. Spotlighting 16 diverse people and their disagreements with Lincoln, Inskeep reveals how the president "learned, adapted, and sought advantage" through these interactions. Some of the meetings Inskeep covers are famous—including Lincoln's winning over of crestfallen presidential hopeful William H. Seward and Lincoln's "exceptional patience" dealing with the tetchy and quasi-insubordinate Union general George G. McClellan—while others are obscure (his Black barber in Illinois and a woman disguising herself as a man to fight in the Union Army). Inskeep suggests that Lincoln did not try to win every argument, but rather "concentrated his power on fights he had to win to keep from losing everything" and always "considered his audience," seeking to address the other person's interest or motive (a skill he refined in the Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858, when he asked voters to consider why they were best served by opposing slavery). Inskeep's selection of encounters is varied and sometimes unexpected, as when he concludes with Lincoln's wife, Mary Todd Lincoln, and their famously difficult marriage; Inskeep contends that the skills Lincoln "needed at home resembled some he needed for work." Though Inskeep's novel thesis sometimes gets buried by each encounter's backstory and minutiae, the energetic narrative and intriguing cast of characters keep things moving. Lincoln buffs will relish this unique account.
