Book Review: Team of Rivals—The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
The tragedy of his end is felt to this day.
Few periods in American history are as storied—and as crucial—as the years of Abraham Lincoln’s presidency. It is a time marked by civil war, bitter division, profound uncertainty, and towering personalities. To tell this story in a way that feels fresh and urgent is, on its own, a massive achievement. To do so through the interplay of Lincoln and his principal political adversaries—his “Team of Rivals”—is a literary and historical feat. Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals stands as one of the most influential works of presidential biography, offering a deeply human, surprisingly contemporary account of leadership, crisis management, and magnanimity at the highest level.
An Ambitious Structure: Beyond the Standard Biography
Goodwin takes Lincoln’s major rivals for the Republican nomination of 1860—William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, and Edward Bates—and traces their careers, personalities, and ambitions in equal detail. In the telling, Lincoln himself emerges not merely as the moral and political center of the age, but as an expert tactician. From the book’s earliest chapters, it becomes clear: the very skills that allowed Lincoln to triumph over established political veterans would prove invaluable in welding their diverse, sometimes antagonistic personalities into a Cabinet that could prosecute a war and remake a nation. Goodwin takes the underestimated, “railsplitter” midwestern lawyer traveling the law circuit with a tight-knit band of his contemporaries, and plants him as the centerpiece of perhaps the biggest drama every to play out in the nation’s history.
Lincoln’s Leadership: Empathy, Emotional Intelligence, Strategic Messaging
Goodwin’s central claim is this: Lincoln’s true genius lay not just in his rhetoric or his convictions, but in his ability to understand people—even those who bitterly opposed him. Through letters, speeches, diaries, and anecdotes, Lincoln displays a rare humility and an unusual capacity for forgiveness. When a rival slights him, he absorbs the blow, refusing to respond with pettiness or ego. When a Cabinet member works actively to undermine him, Lincoln seeks inclusion over retribution.
Nowhere is this clearer than in Lincoln’s relationship with Seward, the presumptive front-runner for the nomination and Lincoln’s most accomplished political competitor. Rather than keep Seward at arm’s length, Lincoln makes him Secretary of State, gives him profound influence, and wins his loyalty through generosity and candor. Seward—initially dismissive, even condescending—eventually becomes Lincoln’s closest confidant and supporter.
Likewise, Salmon Chase, whose ambition was legendary and whose commitment to antislavery was steadfast, repeatedly angles for greater prominence—even while serving as Lincoln’s Secretary of the Treasury. Lincoln resists the temptation to sideline Chase, instead using his talents in service of the cause, even forgiving the maneuvering that might have ended lesser men’s careers.
Goodwin’s account is filled with moments where Lincoln’s emotional intelligence bridges divides. Cabinet meetings are not battlegrounds but spaces for genuine listening, subtle persuasion, and occasionally, self-effacing humor. In an era when many leaders equated strength with domination, Lincoln’s gentleness and humility are depicted not as weaknesses, but as powerful assets for collective action.
Lincoln shows not only a deep and nuanced understanding of his colleagues; he also has his finger firmly on the pulse of the American voter. Through his own brand of retail politics, honed in his quest for the many political offices he failed to win on his journey to the Oval Office, Lincoln developed an instinctive understanding of the sensitivities and inclinations of the electorate. He was often criticized for moving too slowly with important initiatives. He never wanted to get ahead of where he sensed the electorate to be in its willingness to support the ambitious agenda he had in mind.
Personal Histories and Political Realities: Humanizing the Cast
The strength of Team of Rivals lies partly in how well Goodwin draws each major character. Seward’s wit and worldliness, Chase’s moral intensity and ambition, Bates’s wisdom and older conservatism—all reveal themselves through personal letters and telling anecdotes. The supporting cast is equally vibrant: Edwin Stanton, the hard-driving Secretary of War; Montgomery Blair, the Postmaster General, deep in the political networks of Washington; Mary Todd Lincoln, fiercely protective and sometimes misunderstood.
Goodwin devotes significant attention to the intersection between personality and principle. None of the major Cabinet members emerges as wholly heroic or villainous. Instead, they are portrayed as men of conviction and ambition navigating the realities of war, politics, and profound social change. This human portrait is one of the book’s lasting achievements, as the reader is reminded that the era’s titans were also beset by doubt, jealousy, illness, and uncertainty.
Lincoln’s Leadership with His Generals: Sherman and Grant as Masterstrokes
A vital aspect of Lincoln’s genius, which Goodwin illuminates with great care, lies in his evolving relationship with the Union’s military leaders. Early in the war, Lincoln endured frustration with cautious and sometimes ineffective generals. Yet, his ability to judge character and adapt strategy eventually led him to elevate Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman. Grant, known for his relentless determination and lack of pretension, embodied the kind of leadership Lincoln needed: aggressive yet balanced, tenacious but not reckless. Sherman, famous for his “March to the Sea,” shared Grant’s clarity of purpose and unconventional tactics. Lincoln’s choices were not simply administrative—they were acts of insight, as he saw in these men a rare blend of resolve and imagination. Their partnership, strengthened by Lincoln’s unwavering support, proved decisive. Under Grant and Sherman, Union forces maintained pressure, embraced bold strategies, and ultimately brought about victory. Goodwin persuasively argues that Lincoln’s willingness to choose and back these generals—even when others doubted them—was the difference between the long, agonizing stalemate and the final, hard-won peace.
Political Genius in Action: Managing Factions, Crafting Compromise
“Political genius” is a phrase Goodwin uses with care, and she is painstaking in demonstrating it. Lincoln manages not just a Cabinet but a fractious party, a divided nation, and the near-constant threat of military disaster. He persuades radical abolitionists and cautious moderates, urban operators and downstate farmers. His great triumph is the ability to “keep the team together”—to move toward emancipation and victory not through fiat, but by crafting a consensus broad enough to last beyond war’s end.
The challenge is daunting. At every step, Lincoln must contend with regional tensions, newspaper attacks, and even overt undermining from some in his own administration. His response is almost always governed by a long-range patience. When necessary, he moves decisively—thinking, for example, how best to time the release of the Emancipation Proclamation, carefully considering its military, political, and diplomatic consequences. When possible, he waits, persuades, and builds support.
Lincoln emerges as a leader who understands that no great achievement in a democratic society is won alone, or without the ability to reconcile competing interests. In doing so, Goodwin makes a case for collaboration as the root of sustainable progress—an argument as relevant in contemporary politics, business, and civic life as in the Cabinet chamber.
Teamwork, Loyalty, and Lasting Legacy
One of the book’s central themes is the transformation of antagonists into collaborators. Seward, Stanton, Chase, and the others begin as rivals, doubting Lincoln’s intellect, credentials, or viability. By the end, most have become loyal allies, guided by Lincoln’s generosity, vision, and capacity for forgiveness. In Goodwin’s reading of the record, Lincoln’s approach to building consensus out of opposition was not naïve optimism, but clear-eyed strategy.
Perhaps most moving are the accounts of Lincoln’s relationships in the final year of his life, as the war ends and the challenges of reconstruction loom. The grief, respect, and sense of loss expressed by his former rivals upon his assassination reveal the true scope of his achievement—not merely victory in war, but moral authority earned through empathy and relentless commitment.
Narrative Power and Historical Rigor
Goodwin’s writing combines narrative verve with scholarly rigor. Chapters move efficiently between political drama, personal reflection, and major historical events. The pace rarely slackens; the narrative is intimate but not sentimental, dramatic but not histrionic. Goodwin marshals a vast array of sources—letters, diaries, newspaper accounts, and prior scholarship—without overwhelming the reader.
Her attention to psychological insight is particularly valuable. Lincoln is depicted not as an impossibly remote “Great Emancipator,” but as a man wrestling with uncertainty, loss, and the moral ambiguity of wartime decision-making. The struggles with depression, the toll of family loss, and the loneliness of the presidency all receive fair treatment.
This book is not a quick read, nor should it be. It took me many months, but my interest grew throughout, never falling into the “must finish” mindset that long works can bring about.
Implications for Modern Leadership
The lessons of Team of Rivals resonate powerfully well beyond historical interest. Lincoln’s ability to bring adversaries into the fold, to grow through challenge rather than retreat from it, and to act with empathy even under pressure, provide relevant models for political, business, and social leaders. At a time when polarization and personal ambition can derail collective action, Lincoln’s methods offer more than nostalgia—they provide actionable insights.
Goodwin concludes that Lincoln was able to fuse principle and pragmatism in ways that remain instructive. His capacity to forgive, to remain open to criticism, and to convert rivalry into partnership is not just a historical artifact, but a living legacy. In many ways, the true subject of Team of Rivals is not Lincoln alone, but the art of democratic leadership itself.
Assassination: The Cruel Aftermath and the Lost Promise of Reconciliation
The book’s closing chapters deal poignantly with the aftermath of Lincoln’s assassination—a tragedy that struck not just the nation but the families closest to the drama of the Cabinet. Lincoln’s death was a body blow for Mary Todd Lincoln and their sons, leaving them in anguish after years of privation and risk. Less well known, but no less severe, was the suffering of William Seward’s family; Seward himself was viciously attacked the very night Lincoln was killed, leaving lifelong physical and emotional scars. Goodwin highlights how these personal tragedies were intertwined with a broader historical loss. For the South, Lincoln’s death proved catastrophic. Despite his commitment to victory, Lincoln’s postwar vision was one of reconciliation, healing, and pragmatic mercy. His successor, Andrew Johnson, lacked Lincoln’s empathy and strategic sense, ushering in an era of bitterness, division, and missed opportunity for the defeated Confederacy. Goodwin’s account makes clear: the assassination was not just the end of a life, but the end of the possibility for a more compassionate and faster national recovery—reminding us how the character and intentions of a single leader can shape the fate of millions.
Conclusion: An Essential American Story, Brilliantly Told
Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals stands among the best of American historical writing. It is engaging, nuanced, and moving, illuminating an era at the heart of the nation’s identity. The book is as rigorous as it is compelling, offering readers not only a vivid portrait of Lincoln’s genius but also a gallery of remarkable personalities whose lives were transformed by collaboration, adversity, and—in the end—astonishing achievement.
Whether one is a student of history, a lover of biography, or a seeker of leadership lessons, Team of Rivals provides wisdom for our own age. It affirms that the best leaders shape and are shaped by their adversaries, that crisis can be a crucible for growth, and that humility, empathy, and resilience are the bedrock of lasting change. In retelling this essential American story, Goodwin gives us not only the past, but a roadmap for a more collaborative, courageous future.