Abraham Lincoln - L'homme qui rêva l'Amérique

Winner of the Lincoln PrizeAcclaimed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin illuminates Lincoln's political genius in this highly original work, as the one-term congressman and prairie lawyer rises from obscurity to prevail over three gifted rivals of national reputation to become president.On May 18, 1860, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention in Chicago. When Lincoln emerged as the victor, his rivals were dismayed and angry.Throughout the turbulent 1850s, each had energetically sought the presidency as the conflict over slavery was leading inexorably to secession and civil war. That Lincoln succeeded, Goodwin demonstrates, was the result of a character that had been forged by experiences that raised him above his more privileged and accomplished rivals. He won because he possessed an extraordinary ability to put himself in the place of other men, to experience what they were feeling, to understand their motives and desires.It was this capacity that enabled Lincoln as president to bring his disgruntled opponents together, create the most unusual cabinet in history, and marshal their talents to the task of preserving the Union and winning the war.We view the long, horrifying struggle from the vantage of the White House as Lincoln copes with incompetent generals, hostile congressmen, and his raucous cabinet. He overcomes these obstacles by winning the respect of his former competitors, and in the case of Seward, finds a loyal and crucial friend to see him through.This brilliant multiple biography is centered on Lincoln's mastery of men and how it shaped the most significant presidency in the nation's history.

Lincoln

Le 18 mai 1860, alors que la question de l’esclavage déchire les États-Unis, quatre hommes attendent les résultats du vote d’investiture du tout jeune parti Républicain. Face à trois politiciens renommés d’envergure nationale, c’est contre toute attente le quatrième homme, Abraham Lincoln, un petit député de l’Illinois, qui l’emporte. Quelques mois plus tard, il devient le seizième président des États-Unis, confronté à la plus grande crise que le pays ait jamais traversée : la sécession de onze États du Sud et la guerre civile qui s’ensuivra. À la surprise de tous, Lincoln décide alors de rassembler ses rivaux pour former un gouvernement d’exception qui mènera l’Union à la victoire et délivrera l’Amérique du démon de l’esclavage.Doris Kearns Goodwin conte ici l’histoire de ce quasi-inconnu, autodidacte, « avocat des prairies » sillonnant les plaines de l’Illinois pour plaider dans les villages les plus reculés, et qui a réussi le tour de force de se hisser au pouvoir. Au-delà du génie politique, on découvre le destin d’un homme aux profondes qualités humaines, marqué par des tragédies personnelles qu’il a su dépasser pour transformer en réalité son rêve d’une Amérique unie.

Abraham Lincoln - L'homme qui rêva l'Amérique

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