Uwe kersken biography of abraham lincoln

On May 18, , William H. Seward, Salmon P. When Lincoln emerged as the victor, his rivals were dismayed and angry. Throughout the turbulent s, each had energetically sought the presidency as the conflict over slavery was leading inexorably to secession and civil war. That Lincoln succeeded, Goodwin demonstrates, was the result of a character that had been forged by experiences that raised him above his more privileged and accomplished rivals.

He won because he possessed an extraordinary ability to put himself in the place of other men, to experience what they were feeling, to understand their motives and desires. It was this capacity that enabled Lincoln as president to bring his disgruntled opponents together, create the most unusual cabinet in history, and marshal their talents to the task of preserving the Union and winning the war.

We view the long, horrifying struggle from the vantage of the White House as Lincoln copes with incompetent generals, hostile congressmen, and his raucous cabinet. He overcomes these obstacles by winning the respect of his former competitors, and in the case of Seward, finds a loyal and crucial friend to see him through. The power of words has rarely been given a more compelling demonstration than in the Gettysburg Address.

Lincoln was asked to memorialize the gruesome battle. When Lincoln was 9 years old, his year-old mother died of tremetol, more commonly known as milk sickness, on October 5, The event was devastating to the young boy, who grew more alienated from his father and quietly resented the hard work placed on him at an early age. She was a strong and affectionate woman with whom Lincoln quickly bonded.

It was while growing into manhood that Lincoln received his formal education—an estimated total of 18 months—a few days or weeks at a time. Reading material was in short supply in the Indiana wilderness. Neighbors recalled how Lincoln would walk for miles to borrow a book. In March , the family again migrated, this time to Macon County, Illinois.

When his father moved the family again to Coles County, year-old Lincoln struck out on his own, making a living in manual labor. Lincoln was 6 feet 4 inches tall, rawboned and lanky yet muscular and physically strong. He spoke with a backwoods twang and walked with a long-striding gait. He was known for his skill in wielding an ax and early on made a living splitting wood for fire and rail fencing.

Young Lincoln eventually migrated to the small community of New Salem, Illinois, where over a period of years he worked as a shopkeeper, postmaster, and eventually general store owner. It was through working with the public that Lincoln acquired social skills and honed a storytelling talent that made him popular with the locals. Not surprising given his imposing frame, Lincoln was an excellent wrestler and had only one recorded loss—to Hank Thompson in —over a span of 12 years.

A shopkeeper who employed Lincoln in New Salem, Illinois, reportedly arranged bouts for him as a way to promote the business. Lincoln notably beat a local champion named Jack Armstrong and became somewhat of a hero. When the Black Hawk War broke out in between the United States and Native Americans, the volunteers in the area elected Lincoln to be their captain.

As he was starting his political career in the early s, Lincoln decided to become a lawyer. After being admitted to the bar in , he moved to Springfield, Illinois, and began to practice in the John T. Stuart law firm. In , Lincoln partnered with William Herndon in the practice of law. Although the two had different jurisprudent styles, they developed a close professional and personal relationship.

So to supplement his income, he followed the court as it made its rounds on the circuit to the various county seats in Illinois. On November 4, , Lincoln wed Mary Todd , a high-spirited, well-educated woman from a distinguished Kentucky family. Mary and Lincoln met later at a social function and eventually did get married. Before marrying Todd, Lincoln was involved with other potential matches.

Around , he purportedly met and became romantically involved with Anne Rutledge. Before they had a chance to be engaged, a wave of typhoid fever came over New Salem, and Anne died at age Her death was said to have left Lincoln severely depressed. About a year after the death of Rutledge, Lincoln courted Mary Owens. The two saw each other for a few months, and marriage was considered.

But in time, Lincoln called off the match. I am a university student in England and am currently doing an essay on the cause s of the American Civil War. I am fascinated with American history and politics, and this post is very helpful. My focus is on the Lincoln, Debates and historiography. March 24, at am. Oh my, you are really testing my memory!

Good luck! January 18, at pm. Finally…finally I finished Lincoln: A Life. Interestingly, Steve expressed limited discussion about the Civil War, I feel there was too much discussion about the war and not enough about policy and legislation during his terms in office. I enjoy the policy discussions, for historical events like the war and the assination, I can read books specifically about them, the presidential biographies are seemingly the only place to find the wonky stuff.

I have Team of Rivals as well, but that is on hold until I am through the list. Onto Jeffy D. January 19, at am. What are you going to read on JD? January 23, at pm. Don said:. March 9, at am. That might be the single toughest question you could have asked me about presidential biographies, anyway. The first two are traditional, comprehensive biographies of Lincoln.

I liked them both equally well and if choosing between them I would almost tell you to flip a coin — or read whichever is easier for you to get a copy of. So while this one is slightly less about Lincoln than the others, it offers something extra in return. March 12, at pm. Thank you for your response! Kyle said:. April 18, at am. I wanted to find a good Lincoln biography and came across your blog.

Great list, thank you for such detailed descriptions of each book! April 19, at pm. Rick Garner said:. September 26, at pm. First, I have been following most of your suggestions since Washington and now am spending a great amount on Lincoln. I was really surprised how closely Goodwin followed Tarbell with the Lincoln portions of her work.

September 27, at am. Going on my follow-up list! Joe said:. October 15, at pm. In a world of endless writings on the presidents, your site is an invaluable resource! I so appreciate your diligence and willingness to share! October 16, at am. November 7, at pm. By accident, I have been reading presidential bios this year as well. Fortunately, I chose the one by Ron Chernow and that really got me hooked — his style was easy and his prose is wonderful.

Quincy Adams, then Jackson by H. So, as you can see, I will be up to Lincoln and the Civil War soon. I have been using your reviews since Thomas Jefferson. I am limited to audiobooks so not always your recommendations but your reviews nevertheless have been my guide. Or, should I read one bio focused primarily on Lincolns life and another about the Civil War?

November 13, at am. Your audio adventure sounds great! I would also note that only after I read a great biography of Ulysses S. Grant did I really fully appreciate and understand the Civil War more completely. November 15, at pm. Little did I know then that as I went on he would be a thorn in the side of presidents Jackson to Polk! Even with Jackson, from other books I know about different wars that Indians helped him with that made him famous, but not mentioned in his bio.

That is, if you ever finish this project! Anyway, if you know of any books about Indians dealings with early presidents, please advise. Jeff Collins New Orleans. November 17, at am. Definitely on my bucket list! Joan Plamp said:. February 24, at pm. Thank you so much for your insight into these books and your honest opinions about them. I am off to purchase two of them to read!

February 25, at pm. Laura Martinez said:. March 2, at am. I read Burlingame online for the first 12 chapters because I wanted the detail on the early years. I then got the two abridged Burlingame books from the library and binge-read them. I found them very enjoyable. I also read Team of Rivals twice, because I got more out of it the second time.

With that as a background, I picked up Lincoln in the Bardo with no expectations. I was left pondering insights gained through the characters that I could have only arrived at via the combination of this novel and my extensive reading of Lincoln and my resulting admiration of him.

Uwe kersken biography of abraham lincoln

March 5, at am. Sounds like Saunders really did his homework before letting his imagination run? August 20, at am. Tragically, Lincoln would not live to help carry out his vision of Reconstruction. Abraham Lincoln was disappointed by most of his generals—but not Ulysses S. Photographs taken of Lincoln between and reveal how increasingly careworn he became.

Lincoln was carried to a boardinghouse across the street from the theater, but he never regained consciousness, and died in the early morning hours of April 15, On April 21, , a train carrying his coffin left Washington, D. On the side of the Union, it is a struggle for maintaining in the world, that form, and substance of government, whose leading object is, to elevate the condition of men—to lift artificial weights from all shoulders—to clear the paths of laudable pursuit for all—to afford all, an unfettered start, and a fair chance, in the race of life.

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