One Man Great Enough: Abraham Lincoln's Road to Civil War

by John C. Waugh

How did Abraham Lincoln, long held as a paragon of presidential bravery and principled politics, find his way to the White House? How did he become this one man great enough to risk the fate of the nation on the well-worn but cast-off notion that all men are created equal?

Here award-winning historian John C. Waugh takes us on Lincoln’s road to the Civil War. From Lincoln's first public rejection of slavery to his secret arrival in the capital, from his stunning debates with Stephen Douglas to his contemplative moments considering the state of the country he loved, Waugh shows us America as Lincoln saw it and as Lincoln described it. Much of this wonderful story is told by Lincoln himself, detailing through his own writing his emergence onto the political scene and the evolution of his beliefs about the Union, the Constitution, democracy, slavery, and civil war. Waugh brings Lincoln’s path into new reliefby letting the great man tell his own story, at a depth that brings us ever closer to understanding this mysterious, complicated, truly great man.

Genres: History, Biography, Civil War, American History, Nonfiction, Presidents, Audiobook

496 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

A Brief Self-Serving Bio

I'm a journalist turned historical reporter:

1956–1973, staff correspondent and bureau chief on The Christian Science Monitor. Honors included the American Bar Association’s 1972 Silver Gavel Award for the best national reporting, for a series on American prisons.
1973–1976, media specialist on the staff of Republican Vice President Nelson Rockefeller of New York.
1983–1988, press secretary to Democratic U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico.
Since 1989, writing about history full-time — books on the Civil War era.
Covering the past is not unlike covering the present, except all my sources are dead (I prefer it that way). It also means I can return to my favorite century, the 19th, on a daily basis.

Between stints in the newspaper and political worlds, and since, I've contributed to periodicals, including Civil War History, American Heritage, Civil War Times Illustrated, Columbiad, The Washington Post Book World, The New York Times, The New Republic, The Nation, The Los Angeles Times Magazine, The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald American, and Country Magazine.

Over the years I've also been a consultant to various organizations — National Archives and Records Administration, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Atlantic Richfield Company, President’s Council on Environmental Quality, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), and West Virginia Public Radio.

My first book, The Class of 1846, published in 1994, won the New York Civil War Round Table’s Fletcher Pratt Literary Award for the best non-fiction book of that year.

I have now written 11 books since flunking retirement in 1989. Number 12 will be out in October 2014. I have discovered over the years that if you put one word after another long enough, they add up.

I was born in California, reared in Arizona, and now live in North Texas. I'm a product of the Tucson public schools and the University of Arizona (1951, journalism major, history minor) plus graduate work in history and political science at UCLA and St. Johns College. I'm married to Kathleen Dianne Lively, a social work administrator and a Texan. We have two grown children, Daniel, a lawyer in Providence, Rhode Island, and Eliza, a teacher in Austin, Texas, and four grandchildren.

Reviews

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lively and well-researched history of Lincoln's pre-presidential life. Like a warm blanket.

Journalist turned Civil War historian Waugh turns to not-yet-President Lincoln covering his life up to his inauguration. Well researched with punchy prose, Waugh doesn't break any new ground and stays within generally accepted narratives about Lincoln and his personal and intellectual development. But there's nothing wrong with that--150 years later it's not like we're going to learn that Lincoln was a secret alien shapeshifter.

So while "One Man Great Enough" feels 'familiar' to anyone that's read a Lincoln biography, it's a good familiar reminder that he really was a uniquely American character and likely the only one that could have navigated the War as he did (though I generally reject the "inevitability" approach to ACW history). But learning how Abraham Lincoln came to be "Lincoln" is always interesting and Waugh shows great skill in crafting a coherent and revealing history that serves as a great introduction to that questions.

[Bruce M. Burkett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful read. Filled with historical quotation, so that you feel you are reading history from the perspective of those who were actually there. Enjoyed it very much. Hard to put down. I definitely learned some perspective I had not known before regarding this time period of history.

[Dan Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fantastically written biography of Abraham Lincoln's life up until the time he became the President. It is one of the most interesting, well written and easily followed biographies that I have read. There are not endless chapters spent on extraneous details that don't really need to be told and the cast of characters is kept small and relevant in scope. Waugh does a great job of fitting the story of Lincoln around the political rivalry between the future president and Stephen Douglas. The book ends well and keeps your attention all the way through. I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in History, the Civil War and especially Lincoln. You won't be disappointed!

[Donn Headley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having been interested in the life of Abraham Lincoln for many years and, having read most reputable one-volume biographies of the statesman, I found this one eminently readable and entertaining. The author relies on a vast array of reliable scholarship to piece together Lincoln's life (here, from his birth and origins to the eve of Civil War). He also shares much of the President's wit and humor. Also of interest is the charting of the Lincoln-Douglas rivalry, to the point that this work approaches, but only to a degree, "parallel lives." It should be noted that the author does not even attempt to hide his admiration for the great man, so my fellow Southerners, especially the un-Reconstructed ones, will not be as entertained as I was. But they will be ably informed and edified.

[Gordon Leidner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book definitely makes my list of Top Ten Lincoln books--right up there with Richard Carwardine's "Abraham Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power," William Lee Miller's "President Lincoln: The Duty of a Statesman," Merrill D. Peterson's "Lincoln in American Memory," and my favorite complete biography--Ronald C. White, Jr.'s "A. Lincoln." (among others)

Waugh is a superb researcher, writer, and storyteller. If you want a relatively succinct story of what Lincoln accomplished--what his life meant to America--up until he became President, this book is the one. Waugh has a way of uncovering things Lincoln said and facts about Lincoln's life that you typically do not find in Lincoln biographies. Highly recommended.

[Tim Haynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

In school, everyone learns that Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. But if you’re looking to find out how he became the man that he was, developed such strong convictions about slavery, and inspired a complete 180 in the trajectory of the United States, this is the book for you. (One thing to note, this is not a history of his Civil War years. It goes from his birth in Kentucky right up to the weeks around his inauguration)

I’ll admit it went into great detail about some things that felt insignificant, or re-told too many quotes from people who described him as tall, scruffy, and lanky. We get it. He wasn’t 1800’s eye candy. Move on.

Regardless, I learned a great deal new here and so can you. Also, this corrected some of my incorrect beliefs/assumptions about Lincoln’s story. Good read.

[Ken Burkhalter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this one. The book focuses on Lincoln's life up to and immediately, as in days, after his first inauguration. There is much detail on the Lincoln-Douglas competition, political party competition, and the North/South competition. The book describes a political climate we will be well familiar with.

We also get a deep look into Lincoln's political ambition, manuevering, and strategy. Again, this will be familiar ground to anyone paying attention to today's environment, except in one way I found surprising - presidential candidates who didn't campaign once nominated? That took me by surprise. Too bad they still don't, eh?

[Bruce Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

One Man Great Enough, Abraham Lincoln’s Road to Civil War, by John Waugh (2007, 12 hr audiobook). In short, this is the story of Abraham Lincoln from birth to inauguration, with much emphasis on the development of his political career. I’m not sure there’s much, if anything, new in this volume, it being exhaustively covered in numerous other books and collections. That said, it’s a well-written overview for anyone not terribly acquainted with the subject, or for anyone who wants a refresher.

[David L Kight · Rating 5 out of 5]

No debate

While I remembered most of the big moments from the history I studied inn my youth, the perspective and the timeline in this book painted a clear picture, revealing the how and the why everything happened as it did. Off all the speeches recorded here, the title line was somewhat awkward, but an excellent choice and fitting description of the title character.

[Vane Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audio and the narrator is great. This biography is easy to follow along and the chapters are just right. This is the first biography I read/listen to about Abraham Lincoln and very much enjoyed it. I would recommend this book for anybody that is interested in knowing more about Abraham Lincoln and the civil rights movement.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

A prelude to Lincoln's arrival in Washington. A nice, quick, well researched look at the 16th President's life, written in a style that is very digestible by most readers. Recommended to anyone who would like a shorter, less academic take on Old Abe and his life up to 1860.

[Miles Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written biography that is one of my new favorites on Lincoln's life before the Civil War. Waugh's writing is stunning and while perhaps overly-sympathetic towards Lincoln I think he's particularly fair to Stephen Douglas as well.

[David Engel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never deeply delved into the time up to Lincoln's inauguration including the details of his debates with Stephen A. Douglas and the local politicking. This book tells of these and other details of Lincoln's coming into his own in an engaging way and was a delight to read.

[Corey · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was really good and very well-written and I learned a lot about Lincoln. Interesting parallels to current times.

[Dennis Olvera · Rating 5 out of 5]

A

[B.L. Blankenship · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was pretty good. It gave a lot of details. It was alright, I have no reason to give it less than 5-stars. It's what I suspected.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very thorough tale of Abraham Lincoln from birth to inauguration. (You will need to find another title to complete Mr. Lincoln's life.) I was surprised to learn that, although political minded from a young age, Mr. Lincoln served only 1 term in the House of Representatives prior to his election to the presidency and that term occurred many years prior to his election, rather dissimiliar to what generally happens now. It was interesting to see how highly entangled the nations' politics had already become--vote manipulation, patronage-seeking, unintended consequences (perhaps those types of machinations are inseparable from politics)--but it was an education for me to learn that those tactics, which are so decried but still practiced by all sides today, were present and highly evolved even in the early years of our government. But the primary figures discussed in this book, Lincoln and Steven Douglas, still maintained civil attitudes towards each other, respected each other's political intelligence, and kept their politics clean (if the author is to be believed). There are a lot of fascinating, educational details about early US politics revealed in the book but the author presents them in a readable and memorable way.

[jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the biography of Lincoln from his birth on the then-frontier, to his arrival in the White House on the eve of the Civil War. This book, for being as educational as it was, had a great narrative, and a wonderful story that was told as much in Lincoln's own words as it was the author's. It is also a marvelous tutorial on American history west of the Appalachians in this period, telling the story of the rise of Illinois as a state, as well as its most prominent citizen. "One Man Great Enough" also goes into great detail to explain the depth of the slavery issue - and ONLY the slavery issue - as a cause of the Civil War. It was his distaste for slavery that drove Lincoln, and the repeal of the Missouri Compromise by the Kansas-Nebraska act and Dred Scott decision that pushed him in politics to the presidency. It is the story of Lincoln, of course, told through his own words and the words of his friends, colleagues and rivals, but it is also the story of America in an interesting time. I feel I greatly increased my understanding of America another level through this book, and highly recommend it to all fellow citizens - immigrant or not.

[AndreaZ · Rating 1 out of 5]

After reading McCoullough's stellar biography of Adams, I was quite disappointed in One Man Great Enough. While both books integrate excerpts that from letters and diaries, in this book they aren't well-integrated and the surrounding text doesn't run very deep. I kept thinking, "And so? What happened next?"

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a man is truly great he stands out in history. When he stands out in history he draws the attention of historians and authors. When the man is Abe Lincoln, he seems to draw the attention of every historian and author. In a sea of pages written about this great man, Waugh does an exceptional work of bringing him to life and offering glimpses of him you have not seen before.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice, fairly short biography that goes through Lincoln's election as president. It's pretty familiar ground with some parts particularly well told. I liked the detailed description of Lincoln's arrival in New York for his Cooper Union speech.

[Judy · Rating 2 out of 5]

unfortunately the cd's were not good and I couldn't listen to all of it. Interesting to see parallels to modern politics.

[Travis Reno · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh

[Sam Motes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The rise from obscurity to grabbing the reigns of power as Sumter is ready to explode is the time frame covered in this book.

[Gabriel · Rating 4 out of 5]

so far, so good.