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Doris Kearns Goodwin

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln Paperback – Illustrated, 22 December 2006

by Doris Kearns Goodwin (Author)

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Winner of the Lincoln Prize

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.

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Product details

Publisher : Simon & Schuster; Illustrated edition (22 December 2006)
Language: : English
Paperback : 916 pages
ISBN-10 : 0743270754
ISBN-13 : 978-0743270755
Dimensions : 15.56 x 4.32 x 23.5 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 145,132 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 491 in Biographies of U.S. Presidents
- 1,880 in Biographies of Political Leaders
- 49,816 in Humour & Entertainment (Books)

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3,844 ratings

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Review

An elegant, incisive study....Goodwin has brilliantly described how Lincoln forged a team that preserved a nation and freed America from the curse of slavery.

--James M. McPherson, The New York Times Book Review

Endlessly absorbing....[A] lovingly rendered and masterfully fashioned book.

--Jay Winik, The Wall Street Journal

Goodwin's narrative abilities...are on full display here, and she does an enthralling job of dramatizing...crucial moments in Lincoln's life....A portrait of Lincoln as a virtuosic politician and managerial genius.

--Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

Splendid, beautifully written....Goodwin has brilliantly woven scores of contemporary accounts...into a fluid narrative....This is the most richly detailed account of the Civil War presidency to appear in many years.

--John Rhodehamel, Los Angeles Times

About the Author

Doris Kearns Goodwin's interest in leadership began more than half a century ago as a professor at Harvard. Her experiences working for Lyndon B. Johnson in the White House and later assisting him on his memoirs led to her bestselling Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream. She followed up with the Pulitzer Prize-winning No Ordinary Time: Franklin & Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II. She earned the Lincoln Prize for the runaway bestseller Team of Rivals, the basis for Steven Spielberg's Academy Award-winning film Lincoln, and the Carnegie Medal for The Bully Pulpit, the New York Times bestselling chronicle of the friendship between Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft. She lives in Concord, Massachusetts. Visit her at DorisKearnsGoodwin.com or @DorisKGoodwin.

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John Power

Brilliant analysis of a fascinating period of American political history

Reviewed in Australia on 6 November 2020

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Lincoln is among the most interesting American presidents, and his Presidency was at the crucial turning point of the nation. He surrounded himself with a most impressive group of people. So it is fascinating to read about the characters and their relationships. I think this is a particularly well written and thoughtful account.

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Adam

Impeccably researched and crafted

Reviewed in Australia on 7 July 2016

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This book is impeccably researched, thoughtfully crafted and brilliantly paced. It gives profound insight into the workings of Abraham Lincoln's cabinet, based on source documents, as well as insights to his impressive humanity and leadership.

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isaac williamson

Engaging and informative

Reviewed in Australia on 1 January 2021

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A very good read!

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Amazon Customer

Excellent, compelling

Reviewed in Australia on 3 May 2018

A fantastic insight into the life of Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet. A must read for anyone interested in history. Lincoln is shown as a fascinating and larger than life leader of his time.

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Colleen Toohey

A Great Read

Reviewed in Australia on 24 April 2020

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It shows Abraham Lincoln as an amazing man,, an amazing Politician, a man who may have made a huge difference to America's Civil Rights problems of the 1960's, if he had not been assassinated, in 1865

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David Herdson

Lincoln’s team and his brilliance at leading them

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 October 2017

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Doris Kearns Goodwin deserves thanks from her readers twice over. Firstly, in the crowded field of writings on the US Civil War and on Abraham Lincoln, she has found a new and fascinating way of illuminating the man, his life and times. And secondly, having identified that opportunity, she had then written an outstanding book.

Her book’s concept is simple enough. Four men (excluding also-rans) contested the Republican nomination in 1860: William Seward, Salmon Chase, Abraham Lincoln and Edward Bates. Unusually, after Lincoln won his party’s endorsement and, subsequently, the presidential election, he invited his former competitors to take seats in the cabinet – hence the book’s title. Goodwin’s is the story of how the four came to be the principle Republican candidates and how they interacted once on the same team after the election.

That’s a lot of weight for a book to carry and one of its remarkable features is how lightly it does so. Despite measuring in at a little over 750 pages (or well over 900 if notes and index are included), it never plods. Partly, that’s because Goodwin doesn’t stick rigidly to her mission. The first part, leading up to 1860, is essentially four parallel biographies. The temptation, which she rightly resists, is to over-write their early lives. Instead, she focusses on the key experiences that made them who they became, on what they shared in common and where they differed: the essential building blocks of the post-1860 story. What she does write though is comprehensively researched and packed with relevant anecdote and reference. She not only brings the people to life but also the times they lived in.

She also lightens the load by ensuring that it is not a Civil War book, as such. The conflict does, of course, dominate Lincoln’s presidency but she’s interested in how it was managed from DC, not the details of the campaigns themselves, unless they link into the main narrative.

The four men also do not get equal billing. Lincoln, of course, is pre-eminent but the index is revealing: against Lincoln’s near-six columns of entries, Seward has three, Chase, a little over two and Bates, just one and a quarter. This, again, is as it should be. Bates’ life, for example, was not as dramatic as the other men’s, nor was he as central to the administration as Seward or Chase. Similarly, the cast extends far beyond these central characters, particularly once Lincoln becomes president and the Civil War breaks out.

There is, however, a second narrative theme, revealed in the book’s sub-title. I knew (as surely does virtually everyone) that Lincoln was a great man. I hadn’t realised until I read this just how profoundly good a man he was, nor how great a politician either: two surprisingly interrelated attributes. His skill at man-management was extraordinary, helped in no small part by his exceptional patience and magnanimity.

That said, it’s in Goodwin’s description of Lincoln’s political ability that I have my one reservation about her book. She doesn’t criticise him for any decision or action he took and his is implicitly described as a career virtually without error. No-one is that perfect and while I’m not a Lincoln expert, the evidence from her own book suggests to me that he was too indulgent at times towards underperforming or disloyal colleagues and commanders – Chase and McClellan being two obvious examples.

I’m not particularly religious but it’s hard not to see something providential about Lincoln’s presidency. No one could have led the Union more effectively given the options available (though that was far from clear beforehand); Lincoln was a remarkable choice for candidate given his almost complete lack of experience in office; and considering his upbringing, he’d overcome tremendous obstacles simply to be in the running. How he did it is fascinating and inspiring.

20 people found this helpful

Leitir

An outstanding exploration of the relationships and people surrounding a great human being

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 January 2017

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I had wanted to read a biography of Lincoln for some time. The inspiration to purchase this came from the Spielberg film, Lincoln. Somewhat ironically, the story of that film is a very short passage in this tome, but no matter. On finishing this book, I feel almost as sad as when I finished the biography of George Washington. Doris Kearns Goodwin has done a masterful job of describing the web of relationships that surrounded Lincoln and that were so vital in making him the man that he was. In her portrayal, he emerges as the altrocentric leader par excellence. Somewhat counterintuitively, but very appropriately, this biography of Lincoln gives as much attention to each of his rivals as it does to him. A profound humanity on the part of this leader is palpable in every description of him. The tracing of his friendship with Seward is particularly moving, and demonstrates how the deepest and most long-lasting of friendships can emerge in the most unexpected of places. There is much to be learned about leadership, about humanity and, truth be told, about yourself from this book. In a time when moral and ethical leadership seems to be in short supply, this story of a man whom nobody really took seriously in the beginning ,and went on to save a nation in its greatest hour of peril since its foundation, is a wonderful tonic for the soul. Please read it.

9 people found this helpful

R Helen

Amazing!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 December 2015

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Honestly, I would give this book ten stars. It is now by far my favorite book. After reading this you realize why Abraham Lincoln is considered the greatest of American presidents. Our knee-jerk reaction would be that it is because he freed the slaves, but as Goodwin points out, many of his rivals would have done the same, faster, and with greater freedoms for blacks. Abraham Lincoln was great because of his unbelievable political instincts. He knew how to use and get the best out of key political players, even when they were his enemies. If he saw greatness in his enemies he attracted them, and they, more often than not, became his friends. He put together one of the greatest cabinets in US history because of this talent. Presidents fill their posts with supporters. Not Lincoln. But they became his supporters. He did not allow ego to get in the way. He turned a blind eye and became the most loved President in American history. And he understood, above everything else, that timing is everything. His policies worked because he waited for the right moment. The emancipation proclamation, the thirteenth amendment, etc..these were successful because they weren't rushed. They came just at the moment they would be received. His political instincts were beyond compare.

What I found very interesting is that although as an American my impression has always been that Lincoln was the greatest of all abolitionists, he was not an abolitionist at all. And his policy regarding slavery gradually evolved into what it eventually became, freedom from slavery in the whole United States. Had Lincoln not been assassinated, it is interesting to think whether reconstruction may have been far more successful and the whole history of race relations in America changed.

This book is beautifully written. It made me laugh (Lincoln had quite a sense of humor) and it made me cry. I was really moved at the end. This book focuses on the political history of the civil war, and it is moving, inspiring, and reaffirms why I love to read history so much. If you are going to read one book this year, read this one. You will not be disappointed.

2 people found this helpful

Carl Spencer

A great retelling of an incredible man's life

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 October 2014

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I first became aware of Lincoln when I was 17 and visited Washington DC (a beautiful city), where Lincoln has what is undoubtedly the grandest, as well one of the most recognisable, of the many memorials in the city. However, it was only after seeing Steven Spielberg's 'Lincoln' that I truly appreciated exactly what a significant role he played in American history (and in the fate of the world when you consider what may otherwise have happened to the USA).

I was keen to learn more and discovered that the movie was based on this book by Doris Kearns Goodwin. The book is a 700-odd page bulk but is consistently absorbing and entertaining. There isn't a dry soulless page or passage to be found. From Lincoln's early years through to his untimely death and legacy, the story (for it is told as a narrative rather than a plain historical text) is insightful and and interesting. This is the ultimate retelling of Lincoln's life, which draws from many of the biographies and historical texts which have come before it, and blends them into a cohesive whole.

The book clearly comes from an author who admires Lincoln as it is an overwhelmingly positive portrayal of his role as President of the United States. Still, that isn't to be unexpected when the man is often ranked amongst the top 3 Presidents - the top 1 in some cases - by scholars. As you read you can't help but appreciate the bigger picture drawn by the author, which shows just how much Lincoln pulled the strings and anticipated sentiments and events well in advance. You end up wondering whether it really was divine providence which led to him becoming President. Still, space is still given over to the more critical accounts of Lincoln and Doris Goodwin ably sets out events and issues on which people have differing opinions.

I do have a few gripes. First, there is very little focus on the events portrayed in the Lincoln movie. Only 3 or 4 pages is given to the passing of the amendment to abolish slavery. Second, it would have been nice to learn more about what happened to the reconstruction process as a result of Lincoln's death. I have had to rely on Wikipedia for that and come to the conclusion that, of all the men in the administration, it is a travesty that Andrew Johnson was the one in line to become President as he reversed all of Lincoln's good groundwork. Third, the chronology does become a little muddled and confused at times as the book jumps to different individuals and events. It would have been useful to have the rather long chapters divided a little more clearly by dates.

Still, those are very minor and do not detract from what is a great read about an absolutely incredible man.

Nic Allen

Imitation of Lincoln

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 May 2015

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Team of Rivals tells the tale of Abraham Lincoln’s political life in two parts. In the first the backwoodsman, patronised and underestimated by his more patrician rivals, but offending none of them, slips through the middle to take the Republican nomination. In the second part, without grudge and with magnanimous pragmatism, he enlists the services of these same rivals to help him first to the Presidency and then through the long and bitter years of the Civil War. Their condescension largely turns to beguilement at the charisma, patience, empathy, humour and wisdom of the once scorned rustic.

Doris Kearns Godwin’s page-turner is not the place to look for criticisms of Lincoln’s approach. Was there no way that at least a portion of the Southern electorate could have been wooed during the Presidential campaign? Could the disastrous secession of Virginia from the Union have been avoided? Was it really wise to have tolerated the disastrous General Maclellan quite so long? Or the duplicitous Salmon Chase?

But such quibbles rather miss the point. Team of Rivals has an uncommon and remarkable structure for a modern book. It is a hagiography in the true sense. It not only chronicles the life of America’s secular saint but also serves as an inspirational text. If you want an insight into what intelligent, empathetic leadership can achieve, forget about those rows of management books you find at every airport bookshop and just pick up this one.

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