The Lincoln Miracle

Inside the Republican Convention That Changed History

Paperback, 528 pages

English language

Published Feb. 6, 2024 by Grove/Atlantic.

ISBN:
978-0-8021-6268-7
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5 stars (1 review)

Illinois lawyer Abraham Lincoln had a record of political failure. In 1858, he had lost a celebrated Senate bid against incumbent Stephen Douglas, his second failed Senate run, and had not held public office since one term in Congress a decade earlier. As the Republican National Convention opened in mid-May 1860 in Chicago, powerful New York Senator William Seward was the overwhelming favorite for the presidential nomination, with notables like Salmon Chase and Edward Bates in the running. Few thought Lincoln stood a chance—though stubborn Illinois circuit Judge David Davis had come to fight for his friend anyway.

Such was the political landscape as Edward Achorn’s The Lincoln Miracle opens on Saturday, May 12, 1860. Chronicling the tense political drama as it unfolded over the next six days, Achorn explores the genius of Lincoln’s quiet strategy, the vicious partisanship tearing apart America, the fierce battles raging over racism and slavery, …

1 edition

Deep dive into old-time presidential politics

5 stars

I picked up this book at the SLC airport, tough call between this and a book about Led Zeppelin (which I still want to read) but these days it seems important to learn about presidential politics, and this account about the machinations that got Lincoln nominated, against most expectations, as the Republican candidate (back in the opposites universe when Republican's were not only anti-slavery but founded as such) is surprisingly entertaining, with it's description of the old-timey uncouth Western (back when Illinois was the west) environs, and populous interest in politics (80% voter turnout!). The cast of mostly white male characters with their ambitions, disappointments, and grudges seem all too familiar, as does the coterie of sulking followers. It's amazing how things turned out, and you have to wonder how it might have turned out differently.