Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power

I concur with other reviewers who praise this book for its organization, clarity, and insight. It departs from the usual chronological order followed by most biographies to concentrate on the development of Lincoln's character, party connections, and administrative abilities. At different times Lincoln is described as "shrewd," "cunning," "inefficient," "firm," "diligent," "energetic," and hard-working. I also concur with Christian Schlect's review that Professor Carwardine's conclusion seems to conflict with his text. Carwardine sums up: "Lincoln is best understood not as the extraordinary figure of the iconographers, but as a man of his times, politically wise but capable of misjudgments, too, and powerful largely because he was representative" (p. 319), as if only iconographers could consider Lincoln extraordinary. One need only look at President Buchanan before Lincoln and President Johnson after him to see that the times also called up some very mediocre figures. Carwardine's conclusion comes as a surprise, but the surprise is softened by an afterword that explains his desire to convey a "neutral" view. His book is praised by many of the best Lincoln scholars alive, and they are right: with the exception of his page about exceptionality, his book is exceptionally good.

There is no shortage of biographies and other studies on Abraham Lincoln, America's Sixteenth President, often ranked as America's greatest president. Richard Carwardine's book is not, as he states, a personal biography of Lincoln, but rather analyzes the forces both internal and external that shaped Lincoln into the leader he became and how he used those forces. Carwardine's book is a well conceived and very well written book on a truly remarkable man. The author looks at Lincoln's personal ambitions, his understanding of public opinion and the usefulness of party organization as some venues for understanding how Lincoln rose to the highest office in the land. We see Lincoln through the main points in his career from practicing law to becoming a state legislator, Congressman, and first Republican President in 1860, then reelected in 1864. We learn of Lincoln personal traits as well as the development of his political ideology. The author gives due attention to the times Lincoln played a part in as well, which is necessary in helping the reader understand the nature of American society in a politically divisive time, especially over the economic, political and social aspects of slavery. The issues brought forward with the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the popular sovereignty idea espoused by Stephen Douglas, and other highly charged political issues are discussed. But the real focus comes to center on Lincoln's attitudes and beliefs on these issues and his own grappling with the issue of slavery. Lincoln could gauge public opinion very keenly and was cautious to avoid being too 'out of the mainstream'. In short, Lincoln played the part of a very intelligent politician, but as Carwardine makes clear, he was genuine in the beliefs he reached. The formation of the Republican Party helped provide Lincoln with the organizational and structural support to advance his political ambitions, through party meetings and public speaking, Lincoln's name became more well known to the populace. Lincoln, ever the wise politician, worked hard to cultivate a broad base of support among former Whigs, Union Democrats, radical Republicans and the likes, not only during his campaign for president, but during his presidency. As the author also discusses, Lincoln appealed to evangelical Protestants through his belief in the necessity of Union and the principles espoused by Jefferson's Declaration of Independence. Lincoln used the powers of the Presidency to preserve the Union and declare freedom for slaves, though in actuality that would happen gradually. His concern for maintaining the integrity of the Constitution did not prevent him from taking controversial measures on occasion, which as history has proven time and again, isn't unusual in times of war. Lincoln made enemies, but he also was viewed as a father figure to many who found comfort in his purposefulness during trying times. His leadership, without a doubt, helped steer the Union to v

Abraham Lincoln's life and career continue to fascinate and inspire Americans. Richard Carwardine's recent study: "Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power" joins a select number of outstanding works on Lincoln written by a non-American scholar. Richard Carwardine is the Rhodes Professor of American History at Oxford University. His book, fittingly, was awarded the Lincoln prize, the first work of a British writer to be so honored. Professor Carwardine's study tells little of Lincoln's private life: his marriage, prior relationships with women, his personal interests, his depression, his sexual orientation, and other issues that have been explored in some recent works. He seems to presuppose a knowledge in his readers of the rudimentary facts of Lincoln's life. (A duel in which Lincoln participated as a young man is mentioned twice in passing but never developed.) Instead, Professor Carwadine explores Lincoln's public career, before and during his presidency, and tries to develop the traits of character and the circumstances that made Lincoln what he was. Thus, Professor Carwardine devotes a great deal of attention to Lincoln's overwhelming ambition -- noted by virtually every writer on this subject -- and his desire to make something of his life through work and effort. Professor Carwardine also emphasizes Lincoln's shrewdness, knowledge of human nature, ability to present himself, and facility at working with and blending together disparate groups and ideas. These pragmatic, practical abilities would prove essential to the tasks Lincoln was called upon to perform as president. Professor Carwardine emphasizes as well another, more thoughtful side of Lincoln. His book describes Lincoln's role as a leader who endeavored to shape and mold public opinion rather than to be led by it. Professor Carwarding describes the fundamental role that moral conviction played in Lincoln's political career -- in his lifelong belief in the evil of slavery and in his devotion to the cause of democracy and the union. The book describes well the development of Lincoln's religious convictions as he assumed the burdens of his presidency. From his origins as a skeptic and freethinker, Lincoln developed a sense of a just and providential God directing the course of human events for reasons of His own. Lincoln's theology dovetailed at some point with America's evangelical Protestantism, even though Lincoln never became a traditional believer or practicing Christian. Lincoln's religious sense and moral fervor, for Professor Carwardine, became essential to the leadership he provided during the Civil War, as evidenced by the Emacipation Proclamation and the Second Inaugural Address, among much else. Professor Carwardine offers an insightful portrayal of American life during Civil War times, particularly in middle-America as he discusses Lincoln's rise to power in Illinois and the 1858 debates with Stephen Douglas. He shows how Lincoln evolved during his years as p

It all began with a visit to the Lincoln Memorial. There the man sat, with his oversized arms and legs, his face inscrutable, having both a firm grip on the ground and towering above the earth, reaching heaven. Emotions were overwhelming, and in my confusion I was reminded all at once of a scene from a Greek tragedy, of Oedipus having met his fate as prophesized by the Delphi Oracle, or of the Pythia who delivered that sentence. The proximity of the Washington Monument also evoked the distant civilization of Egypt, with its symbolic constructions that are a powerful testimony to the transience of human endeavors. There he was, the American Sphinx, seating near the obelisk, surrounded by lapidary inscriptions, who seemed to greet every visitor with a riddle echoing on the temple's walls: "whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure." Having had my curiosity aroused, I turned to biographies of Lincoln in order to understand the man behind the myth, so as to begin to answer the riddle of America's endurance. Richard J. Carwardine's book is by far the best biography I stumbled across. He analyzes Lincoln within his unique historical and political context, arguing that Lincoln was as much a product of his era as he was a producer of historical events. The distinctive mark of this essay is to uncover and explain the sources of Lincoln's power. In mid-nineteenth-century America, the world's first mass participatory democracy, political success derived from the effective interplay of three elements: Lincoln's personal ambition, his sensitivity to public opinion and ability to shape it, and his skill in using the organizing machinery of the political party and other networks of communication. Carwardine argues that Lincoln was not squeamish about utilizing the power of his political office and the circumstances of war to press the limits of the constitution, as in the suspension of habeas corpus. However, he also asserts, although somewhat indirectly, that Lincoln's moral center guided his political actions and, at least by the war's end, religion played a significant role in Lincoln's conduct of the war. Another original feature of this study is to focus on Lincoln's inner religion and his relationship with Protestant evangelicalism. This is a particularly touchy subject, since Lincoln left no diary or private journal and was rather secretive on this issue. As did his opinion on slavery, his religious beliefs evolved, particularly in the course of his presidency which took a tremendous toll on him. But as a friend testified, "the sense of right and wrong was extremely acute in his nature," and much of his political force came from his ability to shape the debates of the day in moral terms. Another constant was Lincoln's fatalism and his belief in the operations of providence. In the end, he came to see emancipation as mandated by God and necessary to abate the terrible punishment represented by the war. Lincoln's

This clearly written book is by a true expert in the politics and history of the antebellum and Civil War eras. Carwardine, Rhodes Professor of American History at Oxford University, presents a balanced, thoughtful, well-informed treatment of Lincoln as a political leader, expertly placing him in the full context of his times. Carwardine is especially wise on the subject of Lincoln's religious beliefs and their influence on his words and conduct as president. This book is an outstanding work of history and interpretation, based on the best primary and secondary sources.