Ezra's Bookshelf

Team of Rivals

by Doris Kearns Goodwin · 944 pages · ~17 hrs

HistoryBiography & MemoirPolitics & Government

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Doris Kearns Goodwin examines Abraham Lincoln's political genius through his relationships with the three men he defeated for the 1860 Republican presidential nomination: William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, and Edward Bates. Instead of marginalizing these rivals, Lincoln brought them into his cabinet, betting that their abilities outweighed the difficulties their ambitions would create. Goodwin traces how Lincoln managed these formidable egos through the Civil War's darkest hours. Seward, as Secretary of State, initially expected to run the administration and had to be taught his place. Chase, at Treasury, perpetually schemed for the presidency while Lincoln pretended not to notice. Bates, as Attorney General, represented border state conservatism that Lincoln needed to keep in the Union. The book shows Lincoln deploying humor, patience, and occasional firmness to transform rivals into allies. Goodwin's portraits of each figure are fully developed; we understand their perspectives even when they fail to see what Lincoln grasps intuitively. For readers interested in leadership, the book offers concrete lessons about humility, timing, and the management of talent. For Civil War enthusiasts, it provides intimate access to the debates and decisions that shaped the conflict's outcome.

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