Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

Doris Kearns Goodwin

Dec 2006 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

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.

Ratings and reviews

A great biography. While this is billed as a biography of Lincoln and his team of secretaries, this is almost a history of the Civil War too. This is the first book I have read on Lincoln. He is definitely the best leader a country can have. His humility, down to earth nature and magnanimity makes me long for the time when things where much simple. Lincoln was probably god sent for this country. The civil war started right when he started his presidency and he was assassinated the night of the Uninon's victory celebrations. He has the bar really high on what is expected of a war-time president.

This was a fantastic book. I really felt that I gained a very strong understanding of the life and times of Abe in a way that other very good biographies have not done for others (Ie, much better than Walter Isaacson biographies which I used to hold above all others). Excellent for anyone who really just a better appreciation for why Abe Lincoln was such an important figure in American history.

I like many came upon this book after viewing Lincoln in theaters. I have only read up to chapter 8 and read about 2 chapters a day but its been an excellent read up to this point. Every chapter has been engrossing, not only the people but just how politics in general worked in such different times. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to witness those times & moments as they happened but this book basically puts you there. I can't wait to finish this beautifully written masterpiece!

About the author

Doris Kearns Goodwin’s work for President Johnson inspired her career as a presidential historian. Her first book was Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream. She followed up with the Pulitzer Prize–winning No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Homefront in World War II. She earned the Lincoln Prize for Team of Rivals, in part the basis for Steven Spielberg’s film Lincoln, and the Carnegie Medal for The Bully Pulpit, about the friendship between Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft. Her bestselling Leadership: In Turbulent Times was the inspiration for the History Channel docuseries on Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Franklin Roosevelt, which she executive produced. Her most recent book, An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s, provides a front-row seat to the pivotal people—JFK, LBJ, RFK and MLK—and events of this momentous decade.