By William C. Harris
In Lincoln and Congress, William C. Harris reveals
that the relationship between the president and Congress, though sometimes contentious,
was cooperative rather than adversarial. During his time as president, Abraham
Lincoln embodied his personal conviction that the nation’s executive should not
interfere with the work of the legislature, and though often critical of him
privately, in public congressional leaders compromised with and assisted the
president to unite the North and minimize opposition to the war.
Despite the turbulence of the era and the consequent tensions within the
government, the executive and legislative branches showed restraint in their
dealings with each other. In fact, except in his official messages to Congress,
Lincoln rarely lobbied for congressional action, and he vetoed only one
important measure during his tenure as president. Many congressmen from Lincoln’s
own party, although publicly supportive, doubted his leadership and sought a
larger role for Congress in setting war policies. Though they controlled
Congress, Republican legislators frequently differed among themselves in
shaping legislation and in their reactions to events as well as in their
relationships both with each other and with the president. Harris draws
intriguing sketches of nineteenth-century congressional leaders and shows that,
contrary to what historians have traditionally concluded, radical Republicans
such as Representative Thaddeus Stevens and Senator Charles Sumner did not
dominate their party or Congress. Harris includes the minority party’s role,
showing that Northern Democrats and conservative Unionists of the border states
generally opposed Republican policies but worked with them on support for the
troops and on nonwar issues like the Pacific Railroad Bill.
Lincoln and Congress sheds new light on the influence of members of
Congress and their relationship with Lincoln on divisive issues such as
military affairs, finance, slavery, constitutional rights, reconstruction, and
Northern political developments. Enjoyable both for casual Civil War readers
and professional historians, this book provides an engaging narrative that helps
readers redefine and understand the political partnership that helped the Union
survive.
About the Author
William C. Harris is the author or editor of twelve
books, including Lincoln and the Border States: Preserving the Union,
which won the 2012 Lincoln Prize; Lincoln’s Rise to the Presidency; and
a previous Concise Lincoln Library book, Lincoln and the Union Governors.
He is a professor emeritus of history at North Carolina State University,
Raleigh.
ISBN 978-0809335718, Southern Illinois University Press, ©
2017, Hardcover, 176 pages, Photographs, End Notes, Essay on Sources &
Index. $24.95. To purchase this book click HERE.
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