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Summary Of Team Of Rivals By Doris Kearns Goodwin

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American biographer, historian, and once a professor at Harvard University, Doris Kearns Goodwin, in chapter five of her book “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln”, she introduces the reader to the issues of slavery that arose in the 1850’s and analyzes the different viewpoints and tactics that important politicians carried out during their debates. Goodwin does this by not only presenting the different opinions of numerous well respected people who advocated for either the continuation or the abolition of slavery during the mid nineteenth century, but also by using specific accounts of the rhetors debates and examining their strategies. For example, Goodwin introduces the reader to the ideas of those who advocated for …show more content…

Because slavery had existed in at a time in which each and every colony was not yet developed, as time progressed it was inevitable for slavery to not play a fundamental role in the development of the United States, especially the South. After all, the South had completely relied on the labor of African-American slaves to develop economically. However, after the large growth of industrialization, immigrants, and technology that the North underwent, the South’s impact on the nation was decreasing. Also, many Southern slaveowners viewed abolitionist views as a threat not only to their Southern culture, but also to their “constitutional right” to own slaves and their …show more content…

A reason why there was an increase in abolitionist was because the Antebellum Reform Movements influenced the morale of many Americans, opening the eyes of numerous and allowing them to see the inhumane ways of slavery. For that reason, when Kansas and Nebraska were admitted as new states, many believed that the union could no longer afford slavery to spread. As if that wasn’t enough, because Kansas and Nebraska both laid above the 36°30’ parallel, they would have to be admitted as free states (Missouri Compromise). For that reason, it was important to many Americans that the “peculiar institutions” of the South, be contained and not spread. However, just like the land that was acquired as a result of the Mexican American War, there was a third option. This option was to allow the state legislatures of both Kansas and Nebraska to decide whether their state would be a free state or a slave state. One of the greatest politicians who advocated for this idea was Stephen Douglas, who had previously saved the Union by the role that he played in the Compromise of 1850. Nevertheless, this idea was probably the most radical simply because if passed, it would mean that it would replace the Missouri Compromise, allowing slavery to spread anywhere in the

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Team of Rivals is a book written by Doris Kearns Goodwin, a renowned American historian. Her book is more than a biography about Lincoln; as suggested by the title, the book is also about the combined efforts of the members of Abraham Lincoln’s Cabinet from 1861 to 1865. The book follows the Secretary of State, William H. Seward, the Secretary of the Treasury, Salmon P. Chase, and the Attorney General, Edward Bates. The book focuses on Lincoln’s life, both public and private.

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As stated by Northern Illinois University, “In that act Illinois' Democratic Senator Stephen A. Douglas had attempted to organize the vast Nebraska territory for settlement and the passage of a transcontinental railroad”.(Monroe, R.D.) Unfortunately, Nebraska lands belonged to Indians, and was identified as a desert. Knowing the situation, Douglas proposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, Northern Illinois University said, “Douglas framed the bill with the idea that the people of Nebraska and Kansas should decide for themselves whether they wished to permit slavery, a doctrine he called "popular sovereignty. "”(Monroe, R.D.) Douglas wanted to expand the north, but it created many issues for the Northern and Southern states.

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"The Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln" The Team of Rivals was written by Doris Kearns Goodwin, a renowned Pulitzer Prize winning historian and American novelist. In The Team of Rivals, Goodwin seeks to show the story surrounding Abraham Lincoln’s cabinet and his presidency. Goodwin carefully details the background of Lincoln and each member of his Cabinet by painting a picture of each man's character and personality. In The Team of Rivals, Goodwin eloquently shows the strength of Lincolns conviction as he graciously but firmly led his cabinet while still humbly considering their counsel in every matter. The Team of Rivals thoroughly and meticulously narrates one of the most tumultuous periods in American history.

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Oakes’ masterful command of the broad literature of slavery, race, and the Civil War era allows him to trace the parallel journeys of two iconic American leaders. Oakes tells an absorbing and didactic story, shifting between accounts of Lincoln and Douglas and ending with their meetings in the White House. By portraying Douglas as a character of equal significance as Lincoln, Oakes not only provides insight into Douglas’s life but also enriches the study of Lincoln. The convergence of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas during the nation’s greatest crisis reveals “what can happen when progressive reformers and savvy politicians make common cause”

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Stephen Douglas, an advocate of popular sovereignty, and Abraham Lincoln, a Republican candidate, were both running to represent Illinois in the United States Senate. These two men met in a sequence of seven debates before they battled for office of presidency in the election of 1858. Slavery eventually became the main issue discussed repeatedly in each of the debates, due to the Mexican War adding new territories left to be assessed as free soil or not. During this time, the Compromise of 1850 was a temporary fix to the sectional issues for the states that made the decision to participate in the extension of slavery. However, the Missouri Compromise of 1854 brought the issue back up again.

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Sawyer’s document depicts the massive emphasis of the necessity of slaves southerners had during the period leading up to the Civil War. While abolitionist movements worked in the North, pro-slavery sympathizers were creating documents, like this, in order to provide reasoning for cultivating a pro-slavery environment. Southern defended the Southern slave system and stated that it had a positive effect on society by asserting that it is a positive ally for religious entities, arguing that it is beneficial for the overall physical and moral health of the populations of slave-holding states, as well as by claiming that it is a necessity for the United States economy. After analyzing Sawyer’s reasoning for keeping slavery as an institution in the United States one has the ability to evaluate current assessments of controversial institutions in today’s world and calculate the value of those

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James Oakes’ political analysis of the relationship between Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass is an intricate one. He pursues the duos; a frontier lawyer and a former slave, the president and the most sought after black, the shrewd politician and an agile reformer who are carefully engaged in the context of political succession, emancipation and civil war in the 19th century. Being a prime time when slavery is a fiercely contested issue, the two closely associate in the bold spectrum, differing and agreeing, disregarding and approving each other in different instances, with Oakes ultimately drawing their paths through the epic transformation. This paper seeks out Douglass’ and Lincoln’s approaches that shift some positions in slavery abolition in 19th century America.

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“The South grew, but it did not develop,” is the way one historian described the South during the beginning of the nineteenth century because it failed to move from an agrarian to an industrial economy. This was primarily due to the fact that the South’s agricultural economy was skyrocketing, which caused little incentive for ambitious capitalists to look elsewhere for profit. Slavery played a major role in the prosperity of the South’s economy, as well as impacting it politically and socially. However, despite the common assumption that the majority of whites in the South were slave owners, in actuality only a small minority of southern whites did in fact own slaves. With a population of just above 8 million, the number of slaveholders was only 383,637.

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