Summary of the political genius of

The capitals of Europe are rich in evidence of the unpredictability of human history. The second, to which I shall now turn, is that our values and our theory are the gift of the present: While European politics became a kaleidoscope, political life in the United States has seemed to remain a window through which we can look at the life envisaged by our patriarchs.

One of the many good fortunes of American civilization has been the happy coincidence of circumstances which has led us away from such idolatry. He is not required to learn a philosophy so much as to rid his lungs of the air of Europe.

Seward through a long alliance with New York political boss Thurlow WeedChase through his early advocacy of the abolition of slaveryBates through a speech opposing President James K. It is based on forgotten commonplaces of American history— facts so obvious that we no longer see them.

Lincoln as a spendthrift while admiring the young Chase, who matched Mrs. It is the notion that a scheme of values is given, not by traditions, theories, books, and institutions, but by present experience. Lincoln utilizes whatever methods of persuasion were available to him to procure the number of votes needed to ratify the amendment.

Goodwin explains how each of the men achieved national political recognition.

It assumes that the values and theory of the nation were given once and for all in the very beginning. Long before Truman, the buck stopped with him. Chase was an early advocate of abolition. But Goodwin clearly demonstrates how this approach benefited Lincoln and the country.

They go back to propaganda about us several centuries old, the labels made by the age of George III and earlier, which have stuck with amazing effectiveness. We find it peculiarly congenial to claim possession of a perfect set of political ideas, especially when they have magical elusiveness and flexibility.

While explaining background information for readers is certainly necessary, I can't help wishing the explanations had been integrated a little more gracefully into Goodwin's generally elegant narrative. The reputation which he first obtained by his Summary View, he was to substantiate by other basic documents like the Virginia Constitution and by a host of complex public bills like those for dividing the county of Fincastle, for disestablishing the Church of England, for the naturalization of foreigners, and for the auditing of public accounts.

Chase wanted power to enact his own superior standards on the lesser beings around him. It was not properly a counterpart of European struggles of the period, nor really an exception to the domestic continuity of our history.

In the end, she concludes, Lincoln wanted political power not for his own aggrandizement, profit, or amusement, but because he wanted to serve humanity. Rather than placing Lincoln directly front-and-center, Goodwin focuses on Lincoln's cabinet, providing us with mini-biographies.

Summary of The Politcal Genius of Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln was a great and inspiring man. Donald's Lincoln remains the definitive biography of the political Lincoln, while Gienapp's Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America is a highly readable short summary of Lincoln's political genius.

But the brilliance of Team of Rivals is that Goodwin does not end her story simply by reiterating that Lincoln was a consummate politician.

Goodwin’s theme is contained in the book’s subtitle: “The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.” When he became president inLincoln had few strong allies in Washington; he was mainly a stranger to the ways of this most political of cities, and he faced the dissolution of the Union in a matter of weeks.

Goodwin’s theme is contained in the book’s subtitle: “The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.” When he became president inLincoln had few strong allies in Washington; he was mainly a stranger to the ways of this most political of cities, and he faced the dissolution of the Union in a matter of weeks.

Summary of The Politcal Genius of Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln was a great and inspiring man. Even after many years of his death many writers and historians still uncovered new documents in search of a greater understanding of the sixteenth president of the United States, as did the author of The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, Doris Goodwin.

What are some examples of political geniuses? Update Cancel. ad by TruthFinder. Have you ever googled yourself? Do a “deep search” instead. You may be able to become a political genius, but I feel you need to have a born in knack for this sort of thing and cannot be partisan.

Summary of the political genius of