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Abraham Lincoln (The American Presidents Series: The 16th President, 1861-1865)

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"How do you buy a gift for someone who already has everything?" we often ask. Whenever I pick up a new book about Lincoln, I ask a similar question: "How can anyone write another book about a man who has been the topic of more books than any other human being, save Jesus Christ?" George McGovern shows us how. This easy-to-read and hard-to-put-down 155-page biography of our 16th President, which is another installment from the American Presidents Series, is a wonderful addition to the Lincoln library. Lincoln's entire life story, from his humble Kentucky origins to his leadership of our war-stricken country in the early 1860s to his untimely assassination and death, is laid out in this concise biography. Obviously those who write books on Lincoln have to narrow their focus considerably, especially when having to keep your story to 155 pages, like McGovern did. I appreciate McGovern's editorial emphasis on several aspects of Lincoln's presidency that I have not learned a great deal about through reading other biographies of him, namely, Lincoln's controversial decision to suspend the writ of habeas corpus during war time, his stifling of the disloyal press, and his personal doubts about his chances of being re-elected in 1864. For the more experienced reader of Lincoln, and especially for the novice or beginner, this biography is a delightful read. McGovern successfully reminds us yet again of the greatness of this humble man whom God lifted up to a position of greatness in our land and who will continue to serve as a hero for many more generations to come.

I am writing this review of George McGovern's new short biography of Abraham Lincoln on the eve of the upcoming presidential inauguration. At this time of transition and difficulty, it is fitting to consider our greatest president and the qualities he displayed in uniting and shaping our nation and in bringing about a "new birth of freedom."

McGovern's book is part of the American Presidents series of short biographies of each of our nation's presidents. The late Arthur Schlesinger Jr. was the original editor of the series, which has been carried forward by Sean Willentz. The series offers a way to consider each president, whether famous or little-known, and to reflect upon his accomplishments and on the nature of leadership. Each of the volumes in the series is written by a different scholar in the hope that the writer will bring a unique perspective to bear upon his or her subject. McGovern brings both an extensive political and academic background to his study of Lincoln. McGovern served in the Senate for eighteen years and was the unsuccessful presidential candidate against Richard Nixon in 1972. He also holds a PhD in American history and government from Northwestern University. McGovern acknowledges receiving both research and writing assistance in this book from Larry Mansch of Montana.

McGovern offers a good overview of Lincoln's life and accomplishments. Although he is critical of Lincoln for the suspension of habeas corpus during the Civil War and for other infringements of individual liberty, the tone of the book is otherwise highly laudatory. McGovern describes Lincoln as not only our greatest president but also as "certainly more than that." For McGovern, Lincoln is "an unparallelled national treasure, a legend that best represents the democratic ideal". He continues: "Every generation looks to Lincoln for strength, inspiration, and wisdom. We want to know everything about him, and we wish we could be more like him. Why do we admire him so?" (p.2)In his book, McGovern tries to answer this question.

McGovern proceeds to tell the story of Lincoln's birth in humble circumstances and of his determination to overcome obstacles, including severe instances of depression, and to make his life matter. Throughout his life, Lincoln was a highly ambitious, motivated individual with a drive to succeed. He struggled through a variety of failures, recognized the value of education and personal integrity, and never gave up. More importantly, Lincoln asked difficult searching questions about morality, freedom, slavery, and government and came towards the end of his life to see a spiritual, providential element in human affairs. He acted with courage and resolve and displayed the highest leadership qualities in surmounting the military and political crises that he faced. Lincoln was also a shrewd judge of human nature, a masterful politician, and a lawyer adept at the skills of negotiation and compromise. His was a rare mixture of idealism and pragmatism that is the source, in part, of the many difficulties in interpreting his presidency. He preserved the Union, ended slavery, and put the United States on the long road towards a society in which people of different races enjoyed equality.

For a short book, McGovern gives substantial attention to Lincoln's early years up to his return to politics in 1854 following Congressional enactment of Stephen Douglas's Kansas-Nebraska Act. McGovern also describes succinctly the outbreak of the Civil War following Lincoln's election, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the change in character of the Civil War from a restrained conflict with limited goals to a near "total war". McGovern properly spends a great deal of space on Lincoln's sometimes overlooked role in securing the enactment of the 13th Amendment which banned slavery in the United States. He stresses the mixture of idealism and political cunning in Lincoln's efforts. There is an extensive discussion of the reelection campaign of 1864, in which both Lincoln's renomination by his party and his reelection were substantially in doubt. McGovern properly credits Lincoln and the country for holding a presidential election in the midst of the civil war and its turmoil.

On military matters, McGovern focuses on the seige of Petersburg at the end of the Civil War and of Lincoln's presence during its final days, culminationg with his walk through an abandoned and burned Richmond. McGovern offers a cursory discussion of Lincoln and his generals, with emphasis on the relationship that developed between Lincoln and Grant. The descriptions of the military progress of the war tend to be muddled as McGovern shifts back and forth between the eastern and western theaters and frequently offers a confusing chronology.

With the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth, 2009 will see an unusually large number of books about Lincoln, both popular and scholarly. In short studies of Lincoln, McGovern's book will be compared to a new biography "Abraham Lincoln" (2009) by James McPherson. McPherson, unlike McGovern, is a lifelong scholar of the Civil War and of Lincoln. His eloquent biography consists of 70 pages of text, less than one-half the length of McGovern's book. Compared to McPherson's book, McGovern seems diffuse in places. And McGovern gets some trifling details wrong. (For example, McGovern says that Lincoln was nominated for president on the second ballot at the Republican convention of 1860. It was the third ballot.) For all that, it is a difficult choice between these two books. I wind up leaning towards McGovern because of its personal touches, greater detail, and fuller consideration of Lincoln's character and appeal.

With our nation in the midst of economic and political difficulties, it is inspiring to return to our history and to consider anew Lincoln, leadership, and American ideals. McGovern's book is a good place to start.

Robin Friedman

Senator George McGovern knows more about what it takes to become the President of the United States than you or I. In 1972 the Nixon landslide swept his hopes away but he got closer to being president than any of us ever will.

McGovern is a student of history. He has been part of it - as we prepare to honor Abraham Lincoln on the 200th anniversary of his birth this February we are engulfed by Lincoln books, most of them thick and wordy.

Let's cut to the chase. This addition to the wonderfully compact American President's series is one of the best yet (I have read a dozen of them so far). McGovern makes his understated case that Abe Lincoln was our best president and that nobody else comes even close.

We learn about Abe's evolving and conflicted views of slavery and civil war. We discover why the Emancipation Proclamation was his greatest achievement. We hear the magnificent wordsmith, the greatest speech writer ever to occupy the White House, as we wait for the inauguration of another brilliant orator, another slender guy from Illinois, another relative newcomer to politics, and we savor the exquisite irony that Abe Lincoln made Barack Obama possible.

Former Senator and presidential candidate George McGovern has authored this slender biography of Abraham Lincoln. This is one more entry in "The American Presidents" series and, overall, is a solid addition.

The Introduction, by the late historian Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. sets the context for the entire series when he says that (Page xv): "The Founders must have sensed [the idea that one branch would have to take initiative] when they accepted Alexander Hamilton's proposition in the Seventieth Federalist that 'energy in the executive is a leading character in the definition of good government." And Abraham Lincoln exercised great energy as President.

The first chapter puts Lincoln in some context, observing that (Page 12): "Perhaps above all else, Americans continue to admire Lincoln's sense of himself. He was a common man who rose to uncommon heights and produced uncommon efforts." His beginning, as most readers know, was humble, growing up poor in Kentucky. The story proceeds with the tale of death in the family, the move to Illinois, Lincoln's early adulthood as he settled in New Salem and, later, Springfield. His early interest in politics began in Illinois.

He began as a Whig, served a term in Congress, and also was elected to the Illinois legislature. In some ways, though, it was a defeat that propelled him to national attention, with the series of Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1858. After his loss, Lincoln took the opportunity to make a speaking tour. In doing so, he helped position himself as a fallback candidate for President in 1860 if apparent frontrunners faltered. And, of course, that is what happened.

The story of his Cabinet filled with those who had had presidential ambitions themselves, the outbreak of the Civil War, his efforts to understand military theory, his struggle to find the right leaders for the Union military forces. . . . All this is told, as well as the story of his death. The book closes with an epilogue that, once more, placed Lincoln in context.

The book's great strength is also its weakness. For many, a short biography is accessible and is more tempting than a longer one; hence, such slim works might produce a larger readership, with more people getting acquainted with the subject. But the cost of this is shallow coverage. Anyone considering reading this book should work through why they want to read it. An easy to read accessible volume? If so, this will work for you. A careful detailed biography? If so, you will learn little here. Try Donald's magisterial volume or White's new biography.

So much has been written about Abe Lincoln. Another book might have been wasted effort. However George McGovern does a superb job of detailing the strengths and weaknesses of our 16th President. I do not support McGovern's politics but I think he did a great job of detailing his respect of Lincoln the politician. Lincoln made a few mistakes in his governing (habeus corpus) but overwhelmlingly his judgement on governmental/military matters were sound. McGovern does a great job of summarizing the greatness of our 16th President.

I think this is by far the best of the American Presidents series. I have read most of them, but McGovern has done the best job so far of any one President. A great read.

As an avid reader of The American Presidents Series first edited by the late, great historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. (and now edited by Sean Wilentz), I had high expectations for the biography of Abraham Lincoln. I expected that one of America's best presidents would be written by an avid Lincoln scholar. Needless to say, I was quite surprised by Wilentz's choice of former South Dakota Senator and former presidential candidate George McGovern. Thus, I approached this biography with a slight of amount of trepidation; as a the Democratic candidate for President in 1972, George McGovern has a reputation as a Far-Leftist. Would his personal politics permeate his writing and not do Mr. Lincoln his due diligence?

Despite my reservations, I was pleasantly surprised. McGovern does an excellent job describing and analyzing Lincoln in 155 pages. Rather than approaching the biography chronologically, McGovern instead chooses to do so thematically. Each chapter examines the Lincoln presidency from a different theme: Lincoln and the Union, Lincoln and Emancipation, Lincoln and Total War, etc. As the number pages McGovern is allotted is limited, this approach serves this biography well.

This book is not without its faults. McGovern does white-wash some of Lincoln's lesser qualities, such as suspending the writ of Habeas Corpus and the various arrests of some of his critics. In addition, McGovern occasionally goes on tangents unrelated to the topic at hand. However, these faults do not take away much from an otherwise good biography.

Ultimately, this book is a great quick read for those who are just starting out and want to know a bit more about our 16th president. For those who want a fuller and more detailed approach to Mr. Lincoln, I would highly recommend Ronald C. White's A. Lincoln: A Biography. Overall though, McGovern's take on Lincoln is an excellent addition to an excellent series.

The title of the book is Abraham Lincoln. Really creative, I know, but it was a great read. Written by former presidential nominee and current university professor, George McGovern, I was pleasantly surprised and equally impressed by the content of the book.

The book focused on the political aspect of Lincoln's life. Great stories and very powerful. Based upon his volume of writing and extensive reading, (yes, he did write his own speeches) Lincoln was the most literate president we have ever had, and the received the least formal education. All together, Lincoln had one year of formal schooling. He was self-taught through extensive reading. He passed the bar exam by simply reading legal books and anything else he could get his hands on. He is a classic example of my theory of success. Success equals opportunity plus effort. Intelligence, skills, and abilities are all success factors but they are not primary like opportunity and effort.

Lincoln was extremely committed to doing what was right and was a champion for freedom. This book makes that point clear. He was a man of integrity. Being the president during the Civil War was a grizzly job, but Lincoln had the right disposition for it. He was willing to do whatever it took to preserve the Union. He was very involved and close to the war effort. You could say it consumed him. He visited battlefield's whenever he could. He studied war strategy extensively.

Raised in obscurity, driven by ambition, and committed to doing what was right without compromise, Lincoln is America's hero. Riveting stuff. Reading this book will make anything difficult you are going through just a little bit easier. I know there are a lot of books on Lincoln out there, and some of them are pretty thick. This one is full of information and easy to read. Highly recommend.

George McGovern is a decorated B-24 bomber pilot in WW II, received a Ph.D. in American history, was elected Senator from South Dakota (1962-1980), and ran for President in 1972. [As a history professor in the 1950s he organized the Democratic Party in South Dakota.] The `Prologue' gives a short history of Lincoln's life. Lincoln was a "self-made man" (p.2) with one year of formal education. He suffered from melancholy all his life, which may have resulted from heredity, deaths in the family, election defeats, or perhaps disease (p.4). His opposition to the extension of slavery brought him national attention (p.5), a split among the majority Democratic party allowed his election to preserve the Union. [McGovern criticizes Lincoln for suspending `habeas corpus' (p.8) but Article I Section 9 allows it in case of Rebellion or Invasion.]

Chapter 1 tells of Lincoln's early life. He learned to work hard, but never learned to love it (p.17). He never joined any religion and did not fight, gamble, swear, or use tobacco, hunt or fish. Young Lincoln worked at many jobs (p.18). He was popular with the people (p.19) in part due to his honesty. He was elected Captain of the militia in the Black Hawk war (p.21). After being elected to the Illinois legislature he studied to become a lawyer (p.24). Then he moved to Springfield and practiced law (p.75) with a reputation for honesty (p.26). [Was there some hidden problem in their marriage (p.29)?]

Lincoln organized the Whig party and established a state convention system (Chapter 2). He served one term as Congressman, then became a respected attorney in Illinois (p.35). Would slavery expand to the free states (p.36)? Lincoln became the leader of the anti-slavery faction (p.37). The emerging Republican Party was against the extension of slavery, a coalition of former Whiges, Free-Soilers, abolitionists, and anti-slavery Democrats (p.39). The `Dred Scott' decision allowed slavery in the territories. Slavery was wrong because it exploited the labor of others (p.43). Lincoln was against secession (p.44) or the extension of slavery (p.45). Newcomer Lincoln had few political enemies, his friends made deals to win the nomination.

Southern states threatened secession since the 1820s (Chapter 3). [The South earned income from foreign trade in cotton and tobacco to Europe, their imports paid the tariffs that supported the Federal governments. Their business allies were the Bankers, Shippers, and Insurance companies. Many Presidents were from the South.] Lincoln would not allow slavery to be extended or states to secede (p.54). Lincoln ordered a blockade of Southern ports, ordered the purchase and production of weapons, and controlled and censored newspapers (p.61). Lincoln was not an abolitionist until war-time conditions required it (Chapter 4). The Emancipation Proclamation applied to the states in rebellion (p.70).

The Union had an advantage in population and production (Chapter 5). Lincoln became more involved in managing the war (p.83). U.S. Grant's victories ensured his promotion (p.87). Lincoln was the best speech-writer of the Presidents (p.91). Lincoln was the first President to win a second term since Andrew Jackson. Chapter 6 explains the `Politics in Wartime'. Chapter 7 describes the changes in Lincoln's second term. Many new laws had long-lasting consequences (pp.119-121). The XIII Amendment passed (p.128). Chapter 8 tells of Lincoln's last year. He saw the end of the war on April 9. The `Epilogue' describes the mourning, and has the author's comments. Liberty was no longer the absence of government restraint but something government provided (p.152). New Constitutional amendments expanded the powers of the national government (p.153).

A lot has been written about Lincoln. This book presents a good summary and covers the high lites of his life before and while being President.

I mainly bought this 155 page biography of Abe beacause of it's author, former Senator, Presidential candidate George McGovern. If you need a quick refresher course on why Lincoln was a great President, learn about his human side and learn a little about the civil war, this is a great way to do it. Invest a liitle time with this book instead of a romance novel this summer!