Review of Impeached by David O. Stewart

Andrew Johnson is generally regarded as one of the three worst, if not THE worst, presidents in America’s history.  Johnson, a Democrat and the only senator from a seceding state to remain loyal to the Union, was tapped by the Republican Party in 1864 to be President Lincoln’s running mate.  Less than a month after becoming Vice President, Lincoln was assassinated, and Johnson acceded to the presidency.  Johnson’s presidency was characterized by constant conflict with Congress, led by Radical Republicans whose vision for Reconstruction could hardly have been more different from Johnson’s.  Johnson’s constant squabbling with Congress, aggravated by his headstrong and combative personality, eventually led to his being the first U. S. president in history (and the only one until the 1990s) to face impeachment.

In Impeached: The Trial of President Andrew Johnson and the Fight for Lincoln’s Legacy, David O. Stewart narrates the events that led to Johnson’s impeachment, which ended in his being acquitted by a single vote.  Historians who have written about the conflict between Johnson and the Radicals have tended to treat one side as heroes and the other as villains.  Stewart, however, refuses to take sides. He instead argues that both sides pursued agendas that were often wrongheaded, both sought above all else to project their own power, and both at times used corrupt means to further their ends.  For Stewart, the Radicals impeached Johnson for purely political means.  Their case against him was slipshod, and their prosecution of him was completely bungled.

This does not mean, however, that Stewart sees Johnson as a victim or as any kind of hero; rather, Johnson emerges in an even worse light.  As have most other historians of the period, Stewart portrays Johnson as petulant, egotistical, pugnacious, and often indecisive, not to mention completely unconcerned with the status of Southern African-Americans, whom he detested.  By going easy on the former Confederate states, Johnson and his defenders claimed to be preserving Lincoln’s legacy.  Stewart begs to differ:

Far from being Lincoln’s political heir, Johnson squandered Lincoln’s legacy. At a most delicate moment in our history, when greatness of spirit was needed, the man from Tennessee could not be more than the forceful, intelligent and intransigent politician he has always been.  The times demanded more. Johnson’s rise from abject poverty to the White House is an inspiring story, but his presidency was so calamitous that it can only be seen as a tragedy (319).

Impeached is a masterfully written account of Johnson’s presidency and impeachment.  The last half of the book in particular reads like a novel, so much so that I often had trouble putting it down.  The book might have been strengthened by the addition of more discussion of Johnson’s pre-presidential career, but other than that, it is near perfect.  Anyone who wants to understand the drama of Johnson’s impeachment, the key players in it, and the impact it had on American history, could do no better than to read this book.

Review of Abraham Lincoln by Benjamin Thomas and Lincoln by David Herbert Donald

In historians’ surveys that rank United States presidents, Abraham Lincoln nearly always comes out on top.  Of course, Lincoln has always had his detractors, but no one can plausibly deny Lincoln’s great importance to American history.  Partly because Lincoln looms so large in our nation’s story, and partly because he has always been so dear to me, I decided to read and review not just one, nor even two, but three biographies of Lincoln.  This dual review will cover the first two biographies that I read, while the third will be discussed in a separate review.

The first Lincoln biography I read was Benjamin Thomas’ Abraham Lincoln.  Prior to the publication of Thomas’ work, no comprehensive single-volume biography of Lincoln had been published since 1916.  Abraham Lincoln quickly became the standard one-volume study of Lincoln and would remain so until the 1977 publication of Stephen Oates’ With Malice Toward None (an excellent biography which, because I read it nearly 20 years ago, I chose to pass over this time).  Few have heard of Thomas’ Lincoln biography today, but because it was so important for so long, I decided to give it a chance.  I was not disappointed.

Thomas wrote at a time when most biographies did not attempt to address more than “just the facts”; that is, biographers (or at least those writing briefer works) generally contented themselves with narrating the life story of their subject, providing just enough detail about the times they lived in as was necessary.  Biographers prior to the 1960s did not often attempt to probe into the inner lives of their subjects, and Thomas is no exception.  As a result, the reader of Abraham Lincoln gains a solid understanding of the events of Lincoln’s life and times, but not much about Lincoln himself.  Little attention is given to Lincoln’s thoughts, desires or feelings.  Thomas devotes even less attention to Lincoln’s family, including his complex and often stormy relationship with his wife Mary Todd.  As a result, today’s readers might find themselves with many unanswered questions about Lincoln, questions that were not often asked by 1950s readers.

These weaknesses, however, do not make Abraham Lincoln a failure as a biography.  The book contains many strengths, the greatest of which is Thomas’ storytelling skills.  Writing usually more like a novelist than a historian, Thomas keeps his readers engrossed in the story, often practically on the edge of their seats, rapidly turning pages to see what happens next.  Thomas’ language is often so picturesque that the reader often feels he or she is present at the events described, as (for example) when he tells of the new State House in Springfield, Illinois, where chunks of plaster would come crashing down even while the representatives were in session.

In short, Abraham Lincoln succeeds as a good, basic introduction to the life and times of our sixteenth president.  It would be especially effective for undergraduates or any adults who are reading their first Lincoln biography.  Readers who are not overly concerned with Lincoln’s inner psychology or his family relationships will find it completely satisfactory.

For those who wish to probe a little deeper into Lincoln, there is David Herbert Donald’s 1995 Lincoln.  This masterful biography, written by a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, was a New York Times bestseller and a winner of the Lincoln Prize in literature.  Donald fills in the gaps left by Thomas, devoting a significant amount of space to Lincoln’s family relationships, which were central to who he was.  Donald demonstrates that Lincoln’s marriage, though often difficult, was generally happy. Lincoln and Mary Todd provided invaluable support for each other through good times and bad.

Donald also makes extensive use of quotations from Lincoln’s writings to help the reader understood his often contradictory thoughts and desires.  While generally praising Lincoln, Donald points out his flaws (which seem to have been few), as well as the contradictions and inconsistencies in his actions as president.  For example, Lincoln often changed his views on the future of slavery in the South, confusing those around him.  Also, his management of the war was inconsistent; sometimes, he micromanaged his generals’ actions, while on other occasions, he took an approach that could be characterized as too “hands-off.”  Donald also paints an outstanding portrait of the complex relationship between Lincoln and his cabinet members, and his narration of the 1860 presidential campaign is terrific.

David Donald lacks Thomas’ exquisite storytelling skills, and his prose is at times less than exciting to read.  Still, he provides a much more complete portrait of President Lincoln than Thomas does.  Donald’s biography would be a good follow-up to Thomas’; I would recommend Thomas to the first-time Lincoln student in order for the student to gain basic knowledge of Lincoln’s life.  Those who would seek to go beyond the basics (but not to read a multi-volume work) could do no better than to read Donald’s Lincoln.  The result would be a well-informed reader who has had the privilege of reading two outstanding books.