The book that I decided to read for my quarter book report was Manhunt, The 12 Day Chase for Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson. I chose this book because I thought it would be interesting to learn about how they actually tracked down Abraham Lincoln’s killer after he was assassinated. Manhunt went into a lot of detail about how Lincoln’s killer, John Wilkes Booth, was found. The story started off on the morning of March 4th, 1865, which was the morning of Abraham Lincoln’s second inauguration.
James L. Swanson Chasing Lincoln’s Killer 2009 Chasing Lincoln’s Killer is a book about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, a past United States of America president. The introduction of the book is how John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln’s killer, and his accomplices, made a plan to kidnap the American president, but their plan failed. So, John Wilkes Booth and his little gang decide to kill the President, the Vice President, and the Secretary of State in one night. John Wilkes Booth would kill the president at Ford’s theater, His accomplice George Atzerodt would kill the Vice President at the Vice President’s hotel room. Lewis Powell and David Herold would kill the Secretary of State.
No matter how many news reports and newspapers people scour through, there is always a better chance than not that key information is missed because of a biased article writer. Through reading the book, Chasing Lincoln’s Killer, no side is left out, and while Swanson is a writer from the North, he manages to cover the entire story of Booth’s manhunt, including the many hidden facts as well as the motive behind Booth’s attack. Through primary sources and other documents, the text is quite informative, and therefore is a must read for anyone and everyone. It does matter if people read this book, because it reveals so much more than what most people know, about this horrific incident. Every day, manhunts and assassinations take place around the
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that,” Martin Luther Kink Jr. once said. This applies to the Civil War especially. The three works, Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson, Killing Lincoln produced by National Geographic, and the excerpt from The Plot to Kill Lincoln by Karen Zeinhert all use the imagery of light and darkness when talking about Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth, and the Civil War in general, though they do not all elaborate on all of the conspirators involved.
“Atzerodt had doubts about his assignment. He would not do it, he said,” (Swanson 27) writes James L. Swanson in his novel Chasing Lincoln’s Killer. George Atzerodt was a slow-witted German member of Booth’s band of conspirators. He enjoyed clothes, food, and fame as provided by John Wilkes Booth, and was involved in the inner Conspiracy, although he refused to take any actions. He was condemned an active conspirator by authorities and hanged for his alleged crimes.
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin is a historical novel that focuses on Lincoln’s most radical decision: to choose a cabinet of all of his rivals. The book goes in depth about the lives and careers of Salmon P. Chase, Secretary of Treasury; William H. Seward, Secretary of State; Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War; and Edward Bates, Attorney General. This 900-page journey telling of how these five rivals worked together is a riveting one and provides a new perspective on a story told thousands of times.
The book Lincoln 's Men by Daniel Mark Epstein tells the story of President Abraham Lincoln and his secretaries, John Nicolay and John Hay. However, it also tells the story of William Stoddard, the lesser known secretary of the three for the President. This book show how important these three men were to Lincoln, as well as how close the President was to each of them personally. Hay and Nicolay were so closed to Lincoln, that they lived inside the White House. But, what’s memorable of this story is how Nicolay and Hay have followed Lincoln from the very beginning, starting from Illinois all the way to Washington DC.
Finding herself in the spotlight during a tense and bloody war, Mary Lincoln faced the unfortunate coincidence of being both southern born and the wife of a Unionist leader. “An obvious point of attack upon a First Lady with relatives fighting on the Confederate side was disloyalty. She was accused of acting as a rebel spy,” Ruth Painter describes as she further explains how the hatred and spite targeted at Mary Lincoln was reserved specifically for traitors. In addition, William Evans comments how, “the extreme elements in the South, on the other hand, hated Mrs. Lincoln because, in point of fact she was intensely loyal to her husband and to the Union cause.” Just as one feels the effects of a physical wound, so was Mary Lincoln seared by
The election of President Lincoln had a huge affect on the civil war. Lincoln made numerous attempts to free slaves and to end the civil war. All of his attempts had helped in ways to end the civil war. His attempts included of the 13th amendment, the Emancipation Proclamation, his hard work on keeping the United States as one, and etc. Also because of the election of president Lincoln the 14th and 15th amendment was later on made as one of the Civil War Amendments.
Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America is a biography that tells the life and success of Abraham Lincoln. At the beginning it talks about his life and how rough he grew up. As Lincoln grew up he wanted to learn to read and write because he was ashamed that his father couldn 't. Lincoln learning to read and write was a key factor to help him win the election and become as successful as he was. Even as a young child Lincoln claims to naturally be anti-salvory ( page 281). This is important to his stand point during the war.
Presidents are elected to preform and achieve greatness in America; they serve as the commander and chief of armed forces, and they find ways in coming up with agreements regarding trade and aid along with many other things. Being the president is obviously not an easy task. Have you ever thought about who you thought the best presient of the United States of America was? According to a debate in Taking Sides written by Larry Madaras and James SoRelle they presented an argument between Phillip Shaw Paludan and Melvin E. Bradford debating if Abraham Lincoln was America’s Greatest President. Many people agreed and disagreed whether or not President Lincoln was the greatest; however the sides of two professors were part in the Taking Sides issue of yes or no.
American Civil War historian, James M. McPherson, in his essay How Lincoln Won the War with Metaphors, argues that if the Union and the Confederacy had exchanged presidents the Confederacy might have won the war. He supports his claim by comparing and contrasting Jefferson Davis’s lack of ability to communicate in an uplifting fashion to Abraham Lincoln’s use of figurative language, especially his metaphors that have the persuasive power of concreteness and clarity which everyone understands and by providing numerous examples of Lincolns metaphors. McPherson’s purpose is to demonstrate how Lincoln was a powerful leader due to his ability to communicate in an inspiring way and appeal to the peoples’ emotions through his use of figurative language
Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is one of the most practical yet inspiring speeches in the history of the United States. As Morrison points out in his article, Lincoln’s refusal to encapsulate the somber tragedies of Gettysburg in his speech is an effective method that fairly portrays just how indescribable the gruesome events of Gettysburg were. Furthermore, Wills argues that Lincoln's subtle and simple words are powerful enough to describe the situation at Gettysburg as a proof of the winning ideology. Essentially, Lincoln calculates his words tactfully to express that the ideological fight of the war is more important than the wars military importance. But as Kaplan points out, Lincoln’s address also serves as a monologue of advice and unity for the public to swallow during a period of gruesome
As Booth began his bold escape, the fate of Abraham Lincoln was unknown. According to “Abraham,” Charles Leale heard the pistol fire and Mary’s scream, so the twenty-three year old doctor sprinted towards the wounded President . When Leale reached Lincoln, the young doctor saw the physical condition of the President. “He found the president slumped in his chair, paralyzed and struggling to breath” (History.com). “Assassination” states that the doctor reacted quickly by ripping the President’s shirt open for a physical examination, but Leale could not find the bullet wound.
(History) Lincoln read and understood works on military history and strategy. He noticed failures and successes of himself and other military commanders, he was sure to correct these mistakes. Historian T. Harry Williams said President Lincoln was," a great natural strategist, a better than any one of his generals." (abrahamlincolnsclassroom) President Lincoln gave a famous speech, the Gettysburg Address. The Gettysburg Address is the most famous speech ever given by Abraham
