Team of Rivals Book Summary - Team of Rivals Book explained in key points

Team of Rivals summary

Name: Team of Rivals
Rating: 4.5 (105 reviews)
Author: Doris Kearns Goodwin

Doris Kearns Goodwin

The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

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4.5 (105 ratings)

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What is Team of Rivals about?

Team of Rivals (2005) charts the tumultuous events that took place during Abraham Lincoln’s presidency. These blinks show how Lincoln was able to successfully keep the North united while putting an end to slavery and, eventually, the Civil War, by making his political rivals his closest advisors.

About the Author

Doris Kearns Goodwin is a Pulitzer Prize–winning author, historian, and biographer. Her works include No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II and Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream.

Table of Contents

Key idea 1 of 11

Abraham Lincoln’s childhood made him a uniquely ambitious man.

You might be familiar with the story of Abraham Lincoln being born in a log cabin and learning to read by candlelight. But his early years were filled with many more significant hardships.

Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, and, as soon as he was able, he was put to work on the farm by his father, Thomas Lincoln. Young Abraham would help his father chop down and split trees, dig wells and plow fields.

His father was illiterate and often at odds with Abraham’s desire to educate himself. Thomas was even known to burn Abraham’s books so as to keep young Abraham from being distracted from getting his work done. If there was one admirable trait Thomas passed on to Abraham, it was his love of storytelling and keeping friends entertained with a good anecdote.

While he didn’t get along with his father, Abraham had a loving relationship with his mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln. Though little is known about Nancy Hanks, she was by all accounts a smart, strong-willed woman who helped teach Abraham to read and write.

Sadly, tragedy first struck the Lincoln family when Abraham was nine years old and his mother died of “milk sickness,” a poisoning contracted from contaminated dairy. The death further strained the relationship between Abraham and his father.

More tragedy followed when, less than ten years later, Abraham’s sister, Sarah, died during childbirth. And to make matters worse, his first love, Ann Rutledge, died in 1835, likely of typhoid fever.

But these hardships didn’t break young Lincoln’s spirit. Instead, they toughened his resolve and strengthened his ambitions.

His stepmother, Sarah Bush Lincoln, helped nurture his self-confidence and encouraged his education despite his father’s attitude. To his stepmother and all of Lincoln’s friends, it was clear that he had a spark of greatness that transcended the poverty and misfortune of his surroundings.

And so, in April of 1837, Lincoln moved to Springfield, Illinois, to start a career in law.

The Republican Party came together as the result of a turbulent political landscape.

During his law career, Lincoln was elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1834. The following decades (1840s and 1850s) turned out to be combative ones for the United States. But many politicians were making a name for themselves by debating the issues.

The most pressing political issue was slavery.

To call Lincoln an underdog would have been an understatement.

It may come as a surprise, but Lincoln wasn’t initially the top choice when it came to picking a Republican nominee for the election of 1860. Lincoln had had a comparatively modest and brief career in politics compared to the other candidates.

First, there was William Henry Seward, who was considered an expert politician.

Lincoln’s nomination at the Republican Convention was a big surprise.

In fact, none of Lincoln’s rivals for the nomination considered him a threat. But, while the others were resting on their laurels, Lincoln was out building up momentum.

In 1858, Lincoln had his first taste of national exposure in the now legendary Lincoln-Douglas debates. Though he ended up losing the senate race to Douglas, he did win the popular vote. Plus, the speeches he gave in those debates would go on to be published and studied in debate classes for years to come.

Despite putting together a balanced cabinet, President Lincoln underestimated the feelings of the South.

Lincoln’s victory in the 1860 presidential election was the greatest testimony to his intelligence as a politician to date. And when the time came to pick the members of his presidential cabinet, Lincoln kept thinking responsibly.

When selecting the department heads of his administration, his strategy was clear: to pick the men who were most qualified for the job, regardless of whether they had been Democrats or Whigs. This meant turning to his rivals: Chase, Seward and Bates.

Lincoln’s challenges came quickly with the onset of the Civil War.

Lincoln’s presidential inauguration was on March 4, 1861. Relations between the North and South were already so bad that newspapers were calling Lincoln “the first president of the Northern Confederacy.” It wasn’t the best way to start, but Lincoln was up for whatever challenge came his way.

And the first one landed on his desk the following day.

Lincoln had to keep the North united after dispiriting defeats.

A bloody conflict between the North and South now appeared inevitable. But Lincoln saw an opportunity to unite the hearts and minds of the North by addressing Congress on July 4, 1861. He made it explicit to everyone that this war was not just about slavery but, much more, about fighting to keep the very idea of democracy alive.

Unfortunately for Lincoln, it would take some time before he would find the right general to lead his army and match his spirit.

Timing is everything: the Emancipation Proclamation shifted the course of the war.

Lincoln knew it was time to take drastic action. He’d heard that the Confederate armies were using slaves to help their efforts and, for months, the question of whether to enlist black soldiers in the Union army was being debated among his cabinet.

So, in July of 1862, Lincoln presented the Emancipation Proclamation to his cabinet.

Before Lincoln’s reelection, his cabinet provided an important victory but also disappointment.

The ongoing horrors of the war, including the 50,000 casualties at Gettysburg, meant that Lincoln’s reelection was far from a sure thing. But Lincoln and his administration would make an important decision that would help bring the war to a close.

The Battle of Chicamauga was an intense two-day fight that took place in September of 1863. The Confederates lost over 18,000 troops and the Union just over 16,000. But, although the Union lost, they managed to hang on to the important city of Chattanooga.

At the end of the war, Lincoln still exhibited his determination and goodwill.

With his second term underway, Lincoln once again showcased his remarkable goodwill and loyalty to his colleagues.

Lincoln was aware that his ambitious Secretary of Treasury, Salmon Chase, had been campaigning for his own shot at the presidency during the recent elections. But Chase finally overstepped his bounds when he refused to acknowledge mistakes made while appointing friends within his own department.

Lincoln’s death was also a loss for the south.

Following the surrender of Lee’s troops, Lincoln gave a rousing speech from the White House, expressing his hopefulness to quickly return the southern states to the Union and heal the wounds of the nation.

In the crowd that day was John Wilkes Booth and two of his fellow conspirators, Lewis Powell and George Atzerodt. The three men had hatched a plan to kidnap Lincoln and exchange him for Confederate prisoners of war.

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Team of Rivals summary

Listen to the first key idea

What is Team of Rivals about?

About the Author

Abraham Lincoln’s childhood made him a uniquely ambitious man.

The Republican Party came together as the result of a turbulent political landscape.

To call Lincoln an underdog would have been an understatement.

Lincoln’s nomination at the Republican Convention was a big surprise.

Despite putting together a balanced cabinet, President Lincoln underestimated the feelings of the South.

Lincoln’s challenges came quickly with the onset of the Civil War.

Lincoln had to keep the North united after dispiriting defeats.

Timing is everything: the Emancipation Proclamation shifted the course of the war.

Before Lincoln’s reelection, his cabinet provided an important victory but also disappointment.

At the end of the war, Lincoln still exhibited his determination and goodwill.

Lincoln’s death was also a loss for the south.

Key ideas in Team of Rivals

Abraham Lincoln’s childhood made him a uniquely ambitious man.

The Republican Party came together as the result of a turbulent political landscape.

To call Lincoln an underdog would have been an understatement.

Lincoln’s nomination at the Republican Convention was a big surprise.

Despite putting together a balanced cabinet, President Lincoln underestimated the feelings of the South.

Lincoln’s challenges came quickly with the onset of the Civil War.

Lincoln had to keep the North united after dispiriting defeats.

Timing is everything: the Emancipation Proclamation shifted the course of the war.

Before Lincoln’s reelection, his cabinet provided an important victory but also disappointment.

At the end of the war, Lincoln still exhibited his determination and goodwill.

Lincoln’s death was also a loss for the south.

Who should read Team of Rivals

Categories with Team of Rivals

Books like Team of Rivals

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