Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

Nonfiction | Biography | Adult | Published in 2005

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Introduction-Part 1, Chapter 3

Part 1, Chapters 4-6

Part 1, Chapters 7-9

Parts 1-2, Chapters 10-12

Part 2, Chapters 13-15

Part 2, Chapters 16-18

Part 2, Chapters 19-21

Part 2, Chapters 22-Epilogue

Key Figures

Themes

Important Quotes

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Themes

Political Gamesmanship

Kearns Goodwin’s historiography reveals how politicians are forced to position themselves in relation to both their political rivals and the public in order to achieve their own personal goals and manage the affairs of the nation.

Her account of Lincoln and his peers show the masterful way in which a figure like Lincoln was able to handle a broad spectrum of egos and personalities in order to run the country during arguably its most turbulent historical period. By showcasing how Lincoln was able to put the public interest above his own, she deftly contrasts him with some of his political rivals, such as men like Salmon P. Chase, who were incapable of understanding how they might simultaneously further their own cause without alienating those around them.

In discussing Lincoln’s political acuity, Kearns Goodwin shows how he grew in the esteem of his colleagues, some of whom at first viewed him as lackluster and second-tier. Lincoln’s empathy, his storytelling ability, and his skill at connecting with both the common man and the educated classes highlight his skill as a politician.

By assembling a “team of rivals,” all of whom would have gladly taken Lincoln’s position, Lincoln exhibited not only grace and skill but political savvy in allowing powerful, influential, and ambitious men to believe that they were making direct and important contributions to the affairs of the country. The abilities brought to bear by his rivals helped Lincoln be able to focus specifically on his tasks as Commander in Chief rather than micromanaging other aspects of state which might have occurred if he had chosen lesser men to inhabit these posts.

Centralized Versus Decentralized Government

Having rebelled from what they viewed as a despotic English King, the framers of the Constitution feared granting too much power to a single executive. Therefore, they created a government of equal branches that would provide checks and balances, such that no one branch could become too powerful.

One of the major issues that continued to be debated during Lincoln’s time, however, was the balance between federal and state power. For many in the South, who viewed Washington warily, state and local government was closest to the people that it claimed to represent. Therefore, many in the South, did not believe that the federal government was justified in restricting slavery from new territories or limiting it in states where it already existed. Many northerners, however, favored a more powerful centralized government in Washington, which would dictate terms for the entire country and create consistency.

This issue between federal and local power was a central point in the debate over slavery. While many politicians did not favor slavery, they were hesitant to use the power of the federal government to stop it from spreading into America’s new territories because they believed doing so would infringe upon the property rights of slave owners. The country had been founded on the idea of popular sovereignty, and the issue of whether the federal government could overrule what the local people wanted proved problematic.

Before Lincoln, many presidents only served one term, and they were seen as an extension of Congress; that is, their job was to assist their party by being able to either stop or continue legislation. It was rare for a president to act unilaterally and propose legislation or legislate change from the executive branch. However, after Lincoln takes office, he becomes one of the first presidents to use executive power to advance his own agenda. By issuing the Emancipation Proclamation, the draft, and suspending habeas corpus, Lincoln exercises executive power in a new way, setting a precedent for the future.

Geography and Politics

One of the main issues that emerges from the Civil War is how the country is divided along geo-political lines. Some of this split originates in the change the nation faced following the shift in power from the Founding Fathers to Andrew Jackson’s presidency. Men like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison were educated elites from Virginia, but the country began to move away from this model of leader with the election of Andrew Jackson.

The first Democrat, Andrew Jackson was seen as a populist man of the people. A rough and tumble veteran of the War of 1812 and the frontier, Jackson defeated John Quincy Adams and signaled a new type of politics and masculine ideal that continued through the 19th Century, especially after the country begins to expand into the West. In a way, Lincoln took on the mantle, as he presented himself as a man of the people; to those in the East, he was at first little more than a country bumkin. Lincoln published pamphlets describing his modest, rural upbringing and contrasted it with the lives of the well-educated Bates, Chase, and Seward, following the lead of Jackson.

After the Civil War, the geopolitical divide continued to deepen. For much of the second half of the 19th century, Democrats maintained association with the South, whereas Republican candidates appealed to a mix of Western pioneers and Northern industrialists. This marketing of candidates by their geographic origins can be traced back to Jackson and Lincoln; it can still be seen in present day American politics.