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I just finished reading Team of Rivals (Doris Kearns Goodwin), a biography of Lincoln that follows not only him but his three rivals for the presidential nomination in 1860 (Seward, Chase, and Bates), who all became part of his cabinet, all through their lives. I know it's foolish, but as I got closer to the end (I'm assuming I don't have to worry about spoilers here), I kept hoping, even so, for a happier ending than the one I knew was coming.
This is the first time I remember crying over a history book.
Lincoln was a far greater man than I'd realized (years of American history in school seem far too close to hagiography, really), and had he been at the helm for Reconstruction, it might not have been the awful mess that lead to the civil rights movement 90 years after the Civil War ended. He had so much to contend with, and he did, with grace and compassion.
This is the first time I remember crying over a history book.
Lincoln was a far greater man than I'd realized (years of American history in school seem far too close to hagiography, really), and had he been at the helm for Reconstruction, it might not have been the awful mess that lead to the civil rights movement 90 years after the Civil War ended. He had so much to contend with, and he did, with grace and compassion.