A Self-Made Man: The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln Vol. I, 1809–1849 (1)

This book's appeal is as much for its brilliant portraits of the great figures that presaged Abraham Lincoln and the presence always of the single issue - slavery - each of them was forced to deal with through their decades. These are men like William Henry Harrison, governor of a Northwest Territory whose land mass was as great as the rest of the time's developed United States and who sought ways to overcome Article VI of the Northwest Ordinance, which prohibited slavery. Interesting that Harrison as governor hated to see what was his "regency" eaten into by the organization of territories and states. The story of Illinois' second governor, Edward Coles, takes into its telling the attempt by Illinois' territorial government to arrive as a new state - and a new slaver state. Coles four years later would lead an attempt by the southern-dominated Illinois legislature to mount a convention to change the state constitution to permit slavery. Cole's heroic efforts to prevent that were successful and cost him his job when his term was over. There are great stories of John C. Calhoun, whose strong nationalism yielded to the need for state sovereignty because of the fear of the loss of slavery without it. Blumenthal's research yielded the gem of Andrew Jackson's greatest deathbed regret "that he had not had John C. Calhoun hung for treason." That happened when Calhoun resigned as Jackson's vice president determined to return home to South Carolina, where he expected to foment secession. Blumenthal gets at the cultural and economic pressures of Lincoln's earlier years (the book covers the period from Lincoln's birth to his departure from a single term in congress, 1809 to 1849). There are stories of many other great and lesser men.I was particularly impressed with the discussions of Lincoln's alter-ego in Stephen A. Douglas. With the exceptions of works by historians like Robert Johannsen, Douglas Egerton, Roy Morris Jr., James Huston, and, recently, Reg Ankrom (Stephen A. Douglas: The Political Apprenticeship, 1833-1843) there is only a handful of books that look at the impact of Douglas, who for 26 years held Lincoln's ambitions at bay. Blumenthal devotes a chapter to the early days of the rivalry of Lincoln and Douglas and, as Michael Burlingame suggested earlier, that Douglas was the unnamed "towering genius," the subject of Lincoln's 1838 Lyceum Speech.A good book, which whets the appetite for the two with which Blumenthal intends to follow this first.

This is a terrific biography of Abraham Lincoln (well, the first of three volumes). Some time ago, I read another fine biography of Lincoln, this one penned by David Herbert Donald. Several themes emerge in this portion of Lincoln's life (1809-1849): a more full blown discussion of his relationship with his father; his developing views on slavery, his struggle to make something of himself, his early interactions with Stephen Douglas, his marriage to Mary Todd, and so on.His father, Thomas, lived a hardscrabble life. Living in the slave state of Kentucky, he was one of the white residents who had to work hard for very little money. He came to despise slavery and this led him to move to Indiana. He was hard on his son, and later, Lincoln made comments suggesting that his life was so hard that he felt something like a slave. His enmity toward the "peculiar institution" began early in life.With a move to Illinois, Lincoln settled in a new community, New Salem, and later moved to Springfield. He began to try to make something of himself and began to become a visible part of the community. He edged into politics and became a lawyer. In the 1830s, he had his first encounters with Douglas, with whom he was fated to joust politically for many years. While Douglas' political star rose, Lincoln's was sporadic, some time in the state legislature and one term in Congress. He became a figure among Whigs, often working behind the scenes, as he had seldom been in office.Of course, his on and off courtship of Mary Todd is rightly discussed at length. She was keenly interested in politics and she and L>incoln were partners in a number of respects. She was very ambitious for his success. She came from a leading family in Kentucky, so, as they say, Lincoln had married "above himself."The book provides great detail on this part of Lincoln's life. The oft-told tale of his boat trip to New Orleans and his view of a slave society and treatment of Africans had a great impact on him.One characteristic of this (and the next) volume is that at times the book leaves the narrative of Abraham Lincoln and spends time on the context in which Lincoln was growing up. The politics of the day, the leading political figures, the conflicts. . . . At times, I would think--'Where is Lincoln?" But, in the end, this embedded his life story within a larger perspective and enlightens the reading.All in all, a very fine book on Abraham Lincoln. One of the best that I have read.

"A Self-Made Man: The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln" is the opening book in a multi-volume series by Sidney Blumenthal, and covers 1809 to 1849. I thought it was extremely well-researched and found new information not only on Lincoln, but on the antebellum political scene in Washington and Illinois. I thought his conclusions about the relationship between Thomas Lincoln and his son were well-founded, and cast Thomas in a more sympathetic light. I also think his points regarding Lincoln's hatred of slavery were equally well-founded.I would consider this book, and likely the whole series, to be essential reading for an understanding of Abraham Lincoln and his era. This is not the usual rehash of the life of Abraham Lincoln, but an in-depth study of his political education and the politics of the era. It's covered in much more depth than our history classes, even in college, and even than what we've covered with our own reading. I enjoyed it immensely; I highly recommend it, and I hope we don't have long to wait for the following books, because it left me wanting more.

Blumenthal knows all the nooks and crannies of the politics of the period and is determined to share them with the reader so much that it reads for long long stretches like Politics in the age of Lincoln rather than a political autobiography. Of course context is important but Blumenthal's narrative too often disappears into the undergrowth that, for this reader, he loses sight of the supposed focus of the book.

Outstanding biography of Lincoln, and it is written in a beautiful literary style. I passed it up initially because Blumenthal is a politico and not known as a historian. I have read a number of Lincoln biographies, and have an interest to know more how Lincoln evolved into an antislavery politician. This was very helpful as he described the anti-slavery sentiments extant in the different churches in Lincoln's environs, and the political world growing out from that. Now that I am familiar with the book I wish others would be likewise familiar. Blumenthal has unearthed relevant information that was useful to me for better understanding that period from 1830-1860. This work deserves to be more widely discussed and reviewed. Blumenthal's extensive political experience is an asset in writing about Lincoln. He recognizes political facts and nuances that an academic historian, no matter how brilliant and knowledgeable, while necessarily immersed in the archives, is likely to overlook or even ignore.

A must have for any history bluff