Team of Rivals Team of Rivals

Team of Rivals

The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

    • 4.5 • 766 Ratings
    • $17.99

Publisher Description

One of the most influential books of the past fifty years, Team of Rivals is Pulitzer Prize–winning author and esteemed presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin’s modern classic about the political genius of Abraham Lincoln, his unlikely presidency, and his cabinet of former political foes.

Winner of the prestigious Lincoln Prize and the inspiration for the Oscar Award winning–film Lincoln, starring Daniel Day-Lewis, directed by Steven Spielberg, and written by Tony Kushner.

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.

GENRE
Biographies & Memoirs
RELEASED
2006
December 8
LANGUAGE
EN
English
LENGTH
944
Pages
PUBLISHER
Simon & Schuster
SELLER
Simon & Schuster Digital Sales LLC
SIZE
54.5
MB

Customer Reviews

justtheJAKEster ,

A MUST-read by one our country's leading historian

I figured with the Holidays again at hand and the new Lincoln movie out in theaters, there might be renewed interest in downloading this book and wanted to leave a review for those potential purchasers.

I have an intense interest in both current events/politics and history, but I honesty couldn't have told you the last time I successfully read a book, for pleasure, cover to cover. Until this engrossing read from Doris Kearns-Goodwin. It meets and I believe exceeds the "hype," and draws you into the lesser-known stories of Lincoln, those around him, and our country during such a fragile moment in our still young democracy.

So if you're debating this as a gift for the Holidays, and maybe are discouraged by either the length of the read or by your honest assessment of how much reading you actually do--- go for it. This book has something for everyone.

WalkingonSand ,

Team of Rivals

Excellent political work that focuses on Lincoln's ability to lead a group of different personalities as president including politicians who were anti-Lincoln before his election.

Krugie's ,

A Sweeping History of the Civil War

If you read one book about the Civil War, this is that book. Tracing Lincoln's career as America's history we see a nation doomed to war. We forgot that in 1860 the south shipped 1billion pounds of cotton. The problem? The north held their debt.

The north hated slavery and forcing the south to give it up, would make their economy collapse overnight.

Goodwin is at the height of her powers creating this sweeping yet intimate portrayal of the United States at her darkest hour.

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