The Lincoln Miracle
Inside the Republican Convention That Changed History
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- 10,99 €
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- 10,99 €
Publisher Description
The vivid, behind-the-scenes story of perhaps the most consequential political moment in American history—Abraham Lincoln’s history-changing nomination to lead the Republican Party in the 1860 presidential election
Illinois lawyer Abraham Lincoln had a record of political failure. In 1858, he had lost a celebrated Senate bid against incumbent Stephen Douglas, his second failed Senate run, and had not held public office since one term in Congress a decade earlier. As the Republican National Convention opened in mid-May 1860 in Chicago, powerful New York Senator William Seward was the overwhelming favorite for the presidential nomination, with notables like Salmon Chase and Edward Bates in the running. Few thought Lincoln stood a chance—though stubborn Illinois circuit Judge David Davis had come to fight for his friend anyway.
Such was the political landscape as Edward Achorn’s The Lincoln Miracle opens on Saturday, May 12, 1860. Chronicling the tense political drama as it unfolded over the next six days, Achorn explores the genius of Lincoln’s quiet strategy, the vicious partisanship tearing apart America, the fierce battles raging over racism and slavery, and booming Chicago as a symbol of the modernization transforming the nation. Closely following the shrewd insiders on hand, from Seward power broker Thurlow Weed to editor Horace Greeley — bent on stopping his former friend, Seward—Achorn brings alive arguably the most consequential political story in America’s history.
From smoky hotel rooms to night marches by the Wide Awakes, the new Republican youth organization, to fiery speeches on the floor of the giant convention center called The Wigwam, Achorn portrays a political climate even more contentious than our own today, out of which the seemingly impossible long shot prevailed, to the nation’s everlasting benefit. As atmospheric and original as Achorn’s previous Every Drop of Blood, The Lincoln Miracle is essential reading for any Lincoln aficionado as it is for anyone who cares about our nation’s history.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Lincoln's victory at the 1860 Republican national convention was one of the most improbable in American political history, according to this comprehensive and often riveting account. Historian Achorn (Every Drop of Blood) offers sharp assessments of Lincoln's rivals for the nomination, including front-runner William H. Seward, who would serve as Lincoln's Secretary of State, and spotlights power brokers such as newspaper editor Horace Greeley, a staunch abolitionist whose "virile defenses of freedom stirred a nation." Achorn also details how Lincoln stalked incumbent Illinois senator Stephen Douglas from campaign stop to campaign stop in 1858, forcing the "Little Giant" to debate him on issues of slavery. Though Lincoln lost that race, the debates caught the attention of the Republican Party's moderate wing, giving him a long-shot chance to win the nomination. Achorn provides riveting details about the schemes and backroom deals made by Lincoln's supporters and loads the account with dramatic set pieces, such as when Mary Todd Lincoln weighed in on a proposal to nominate her husband for the vice presidency: "If you cannot have the first place," she told Lincoln, "you shall not have the second." The result is a dramatic and well-informed study of political sausage-making.
