59 pages • 1 hour read
Doris Kearns GoodwinTeam of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln
Nonfiction | Biography | Adult | Published in 2005A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Part 1, Chapters 7-9Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 1: “The Rivals”
Chapter 7 Summary: “Countdown to the Nomination”
In 1859, Lincoln continues to build his national reputation, while William Seward, the obvious forerunner for the nomination takes an eight-month trip across Europe, where he is treated like the heir apparent to the office by many of the European dignitaries he meets with. However, the trip turns out to be a terrible mistake; while he is away, his main opponents make allies who work against Seward’s election in the coming months.
Like Seward, Salmon Chase also proves to be overly optimistic about his chances and does not campaign the way that Lincoln does. Because of this, although both men have better national name recognition than Lincoln, they lose ground to him. Kearns Goodwin writes, “Not hindered by the hubris, delusions, and inconsistencies that plagued his three chief rivals, Abraham Lincoln gained steady ground through a combination of hard work, skill, and luck” (224).
Leading into the showdown in Chicago, the country is rocked by John Brown’s raid on the Federal Arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia. Brown hopes to incite a slave rebellion, but he ends up alienating the political factions that are not yet sure how to deal with the slavery question. Because of this, the issue of slavery is elevated to an even higher platform at the Republican National Convention, where Republicans realize that they need to have a solid candidate in order to defeat the strong Democratic voting bloc in the South led by Stephen Douglas.
Chapter 8 Summary: “Showdown in Chicago”
One of the first issues facing the Republican Party as they gather in Chicago is to adopt a platform for the Election of 1860. Following a famed speech at Cooper Union, Lincoln managed to garner much support from his home state, and many feel that if Seward is not nominated on the first ballot, Lincoln will become the compromise candidate. Many at the convention worry that Seward’s current position on slavery will be seen as too radical, and that it will lose them many of the border states and the states that went for James Buchanan in 1856. Moreover, Seward is hurt by Horace Greeley, who is lukewarm in his support of the candidate and does not bring the full weight of his New York Tribune to bear on behalf of Seward.
Bates and Chase also have their problems: Bates is not seen as a true Republican due to his ties to the South and his Democratic past, and Chase, having failed to hire a campaign manager and campaign effectively, does not carry his home state of Ohio. While plagued by these weaknesses, Lincoln is believed to be able to carry three-quarters of the states needed by the Republicans to claim victory, and because of this, he is ultimately nominated after emerging second on the first ballot. Many people refer to the convention as a defeat of Seward rather than an election of Lincoln.
Chapter 9 Summary: “‘A Man Knows His Own Name’”
Having secured the Republican nomination, Lincoln now faces an onslaught of Democratic attacks. Moreover, “the news that Lincoln had defeated Seward came as a shock to much of the country” (257), and “since people were unaware of the skill with which he had crafted his victory, Lincoln was viewed as merely the accidental candidate of the consolidated anti-Seward forces” (257). Lincoln’s first task was “to secure his hold on the Republican party by conciliating and enlisting those who had fought him for the nomination—Chase, Seward, Bates” (261), and Kearns Goodwin shows how these men supported Lincoln’s candidacy and ensured a unified Republican voting bloc.
On the Democratic side, there is a split between those wishing to see Stephen Douglas take the nomination and those in favor of John C. Breckenridge. This rift, which carries itself all the way to the election, helps to split the votes of the Democratic party and ensure a victory for Lincoln, who has been able, with the help of his former rivals, to consolidate all of the needed Republican territory required to make him president.
Part 1, Chapters 7-9 Analysis
John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry is a flashpoint in American history, primarily because of how it was received in the anti-slavery camp. For some, like Frederick Douglass and the more radical anti-slavery leaders, Brown was deified. He was seen as a saint and a martyr to the cause of freedom and justice for all. However, in more moderate circles, which included men like Lincoln, he was viewed as problematic. This more moderate camp feels that the vast majority of people in the North do not really care about slavery because it does not impact their daily lives. It is an issue for the South and for the West, though it could swing elections in the favor of Democrats if the Northern Republican and anti-slavery candidates seem as though they were overstepping their bounds and powers. Slaves are viewed by many white people as personal property, and many Americans at this time are in favor of a weaker centralized government and stronger local one. The idea of the federal government deciding the issue of slavery is not a popular one.
Chapter 8 is a study in political gamesmanship. Kearns Goodwin shows how despite his accomplishments, Seward is not nominated because he is seen as a problematic, unelectable candidate. Moreover, other major players like Chase and Bates are seen as too regional. With strong ties to the Democratic Party from his early years in politics, Bates is a problem for a Republican Party trying to make a name for itself in its first national election. Chase fails to garner the support of Ohio, his home state, and without that backing, he is not seen as someone who can unite the party. Because of this, the party nominated Lincoln to carry their platform, mostly because they felt that he is something of a blank slate, a relatively unknown politician that could appease both the more radical and conservative Republican delegates.
Chapter 9 is the first time that the reader gets to see directly how well Lincoln can handle people. By enlisting the help of his former rivals, Lincoln creates a powerhouse coalition for himself that matches the best of what even a unified Democratic Party could muster. Yet, the Democrats split between John C. Breckenridge and Stephen A. Douglas, and this rift opens a wide path for Lincoln’s presidential victory.
Lincoln’s election is viewed warily in the South. Many Southerners see him as someone who will immediately work to end slavery, to the point that many southern states, led by South Carolina, threaten to leave the Union before Lincoln even took office. Ironically, Lincoln is nominated precisely as a compromise candidate, but because of his lack of a strong voting record, in the South, many project onto him a fear of a radical agenda that, in reality, Lincoln never really has.
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By Doris Kearns Goodwin
