Thursday, February 12, 2009
Lincoln's Birthday (2)
Lincoln would have been 200 today! From what I have read, I think it is accurate to say that had it not been for Lincoln, the United States as we know it today would not exist. Had William Seward been elected---he was the favorite to win the Republican nomination in 1860 but Lincoln won the nomination instead---he would have compromised with Confederate States of America and we would have had 2 separate countries. The two countries might have reunited later, but I don't think so. Imagine what world history would have been like if the U.S. as we know it today had been split in the 19th century. Abraham Lincoln is the most consequential American after only George Washington (we might have not had a country to start with were it not for Washington).
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5 comments:
Very good questions!
Or what if Booth had succeeded?
See, you're getting into Lincoln heavily, and without that six volume set on your shelf.
On a serious note, have you read "Team of Rivals?" If so, any good?
Team of Rivals is a tremendous book and I would highly recommend it. As much as anything, it's a marvelous portrait of the upwardly mobile politicians of the 19th century. My major interest in American history is the 19th century.
I'll put it on my list.
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