JEAN has a good question about the people hearing what is being said at the convention; I have always wondered the same about the public speeches given by candidates where thousands came to hear them - long before the microphone! How? And Lincoln had a rather high squeaky voice, I think I read. I doubt he would project very well on our TV’s!
Pat tells us there were 33 states represented at the 1860 convention, I hadn’t realized that either. Many Southern states and one has to wonders if they were worried about the winner of the race for the nomination.
Thanks for the post, JONATHAN, and I quite agree that all history is an abridgement, but Goodwin is pretty good at it as you said,; she has written a book that reads well and yet gives us insight to the period of Lincoln, the genius - the man who managed his own campaign strategies, who said "make no contracts that bind me" and the man who inspired people. One man observed: that: "Most of them worked con amore, chiefly from love of the man, his lofty moral tone, his pure political morality." Wow!
Commentators on TV have marveled at Obama’s campaign strategies and reading about Lincoln’s one realizes that our president followed many of Lincoln’s steps, don’t you agree? I was particularly interested to read that Seward stated: "The leader of a political party in a country like ours is so exposed that his enemies become as numerous and formidable as his friends." Further - "Lincoln, by contrast, comparatively unknown, had not to contend with the animosities generally marshaled against a leader."
Speaking of history repeating itself! Hillary, McCain and all the others, the country knew them.
At the top of Page 254 are more comments that Goodwin makes about Lincoln’s victory in Chicago, the grain yard of America in 1860; later to become the butcher shop.
THANKS, LUCKY, for your post. Those remarks of Lincoln have been criticized extensively Weren’t those views on race in his Cooper Union speech? And you make the point that no provisions were made for the slaves after the war, but at the time I think the country was so weary, and its president assassinated, and, no doubt, the coffers were empty. What could have been done? And, as you say, women were left out of any rights at all until 1920 I believe it was.
EMILY, what a great post about Mary Todd Lincoln, THANK YOU! I enjoyed hearing, for a change, something good about her , she has been so abused by most historians and I have always thought she must have been a burden on Lincoln before and after he was president. But your statements indicate she was an asset , particularly in helping with his campaigns and his presidential years.
BLUBBERING BUFFOONS! Hahahaa I like that, and I would love to hear your pick on those on TV! I have looked at the book on first ladies at the Library and now I must read about Mary!
Later, eg
