From
“Lincoln 365,” by Arnold Kunst
April 21
When Lincoln received the
Republican nomination for president in 1860 he “seemed to have come from
nowhere – a backwoods lawyer who had served one undistinguished term in the
House of Representatives and had lost two consecutive contests for the U. S.
Senate. Contemporaries and historians alike have attributed his surprising
nomination to chance – the fact that he came from the battleground state of
Illinois and stood in the center of his party. The comparative perspective
suggests a different interpretation. When viewed against the failed efforts of
his rivals, it is clear that Lincoln won the nomination because he was
shrewdest and canniest of them all. More accustomed to relying upon himself to
shape events, he took the greatest control of the process leading up to the
nomination, displaying a fierce ambition, an exceptional political acumen, and
a wide range of emotional strengths, forged in the crucible of personal
hardship, that took his unsuspecting rivals by surprise.” - Doris Kearns
Goodwin
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