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Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney
- Slavery, Secession, and the President's War Powers
- Narrated by: Richard Allen
- Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins
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Publisher's summary
Lincoln and Taney's bitter disagreements began with Taney's Dred Scott opinion in 1857, when the chief justice declared that the Constitution did not grant the black man any rights that the white man was bound to honor. Lincoln attacked the opinion as a warped judicial interpretation of the Framers' intent and accused Taney of being a member of a pro-slavery national conspiracy.
In his first inaugural address, Lincoln insisted that the South had no legal right to secede. Taney, who administered the oath of office to Lincoln, believed that the South's secession was legal and in the best interests of both sections of the country.
Once the war began, Lincoln broadly interpreted his constitutional powers as commander-in-chief to prosecute the war, suspending habeas corpus, censoring the press, and allowing military courts to try civilians for treason. Taney vociferously disagreed, accusing Lincoln of assuming dictatorial powers in violation of the Constitution. Lincoln ignored Taney's protests and exercised his presidential authority fearlessly, determined that he would preserve the Union.
James F. Simon skillfully brings to life this compelling story of the momentous tug-of-war between the president and the chief justice during the worst crisis in the nation's history.
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From one of our most acclaimed new biographers - the first full life of the leader of Lincoln’s "team of rivals" to appear in more than 40 years. William Henry Seward was one of the most important Americans of the 19th century. Progressive governor of New York and outspoken U.S. senator, he was the odds-on favorite to win the 1860 Republican nomination for president. As secretary of state and Lincoln’s closest adviser during the Civil War, Seward not only managed foreign affairs but had a substantial role in military, political, and personnel matters.
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I Wish Doris Kearns Goodwin Had Written This
- By AR on 06-21-15
By: Walter Stahr
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John Marshall
- The Man Who Made the Supreme Court
- By: Richard Brookhiser
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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The life of John Marshall, founding father and America's premier chief justice. In 1801, a genial and brilliant Revolutionary War veteran and politician became the fourth chief justice of the US. He would hold the post for 34 years (still a record), expounding the Constitution he loved. Before he joined the Court, it was the weakling of the federal government, lacking in dignity and clout. After he died, it could never be ignored again.
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Excellent Biography
- By Jean on 12-14-18
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Impeached
- The Trial of President Andrew Johnson and the Fight for Lincoln's Legacy
- By: David O. Stewart
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 15 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1868 Congress impeached President Andrew Johnson of Tennessee, the man who had succeeded the murdered Lincoln, bringing the nation to the brink of a second civil war. Enraged to see the freed slaves abandoned to brutal violence at the hands of their former owners, distraught that former rebels threatened to regain control of Southern state governments, and disgusted by Johnson's brawling political style, congressional Republicans seized on a legal technicality as the basis for impeachment - whether Johnson had the legal right to fire his own secretary of war, Edwin Stanton.
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Highly recommended
- By Eric on 12-12-19
By: David O. Stewart
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The Birth of Modern Politics
- Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, and the Election of 1828
- By: Lynn Hudson Parson
- Narrated by: Milton Bagby
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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The 1828 presidential election, which pitted Major General Andrew Jackson against incumbent John Quincy Adams, has long been hailed as a watershed moment in American political history. It was the contest in which an unlettered, hot-tempered southwestern frontiersman, trumpeted by his supporters as a genuine man of the people, soundly defeated a New England "aristocrat" whose education and political resume were as impressive as any ever seen in American public life.
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a very good popular history book
- By D. Littman on 01-29-10
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Founding Rivals
- Madison vs. Monroe, the Bill of Rights, and the Election that Saved a Nation
- By: Chris DeRose
- Narrated by: Adam Verner
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1789, James Madison and James Monroe ran against each other for Congress-the only time that two future presidents have contested a congressional seat. But what was at stake, as author Chris DeRose reveals in Founding Rivals: Madison vs. Monroe, the Bill of Rights, and the Election That Saved a Nation, was more than personal ambition. This was a race that determined the future of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the very definition of the United States of America.
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A Must for Anyone Interested in the Constitution
- By Garshom L. Arkoff on 07-09-13
By: Chris DeRose
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Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America
- A Biography
- By: William E. Gienapp
- Narrated by: L.J. Ganser
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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In Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America, historian William Gienapp provides a remarkably concise, up-to-date, and vibrant biography of the most revered figure in United States history. While the heart of the book focuses on the Civil War, Gienapp begins with a finely etched portrait of Lincoln's early life, from pioneer farm boy to politician and lawyer in Springfield, to his stunning election as 16th president of the United States. Students will see how Lincoln grew during his years in office and much more.
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A great man we could use in the current political climate.
- By dts67 on 01-30-24
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After Lincoln
- How the North Won the Civil War and Lost the Peace
- By: A. J. Langguth
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 13 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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With Abraham Lincoln's assassination, his "team of rivals" was left adrift. President Andrew Johnson, a former slave owner from Tennessee, was challenged by Northern Congressmen, Radical Republicans led by Thaddeus Stephens and Charles Sumner, who wanted to punish the defeated South. When Johnson's policies placated the rebels at the expense of the freed black men, radicals in the House impeached him for trying to fire Secretary of War Edwin Stanton.
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Mediocre
- By Rodney on 10-14-14
By: A. J. Langguth
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The Great Decision
- Jefferson, Adams, Marshall and the Battle for the Supreme Court
- By: Cliff Sloan, David McKean
- Narrated by: Peter Jay Fernandez
- Length: 7 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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The Great Decision tells the riveting story of Marshall and of the landmark court case, Marbury v. Madison, through which he empowered the Supreme Court and transformed the idea of the separation of powers into a working blueprint for our modern state.
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John Marshall & The Supremes
- By Cynthia on 08-13-13
By: Cliff Sloan, and others
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Ratification
- The People Debate the Constitution, 1787-1788
- By: Pauline Maier
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 23 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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When the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia adjourned late in the summer of 1787, the delegates returned to their states to report on the new Constitution, which had to be ratified by specially elected conventions in at least nine states. Pauline Maier recounts the dramatic events of the ensuing debate in homes, taverns, and convention halls, drawing generously on the speeches and letters of founding fathers, both familiar and forgotten, on all sides.
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History Always Repeats
- By Howard on 08-27-11
By: Pauline Maier
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The Three Lives of James Madison
- Genius, Partisan, President
- By: Noah Feldman
- Narrated by: John H. Mayer
- Length: 34 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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Over the course of his life, James Madison changed the United States three times: First, he designed the Constitution, led the struggle for its adoption and ratification, then drafted the Bill of Rights. As an older, cannier politician, he cofounded the original Republican party, setting the course of American political partisanship. Finally, having pioneered a foreign policy based on economic sanctions, he took the United States into a high-risk conflict, becoming the first wartime president and, despite the odds, winning.
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Cogently organized, meticulously balanced
- By Diana Black Kennedy on 06-15-18
By: Noah Feldman
What listeners say about Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- Kevin
- 04-25-09
Good history
This is a well written interesting book. Like other good history the more you read the more you want to learn. The only problem is that the reader did not research name pronunciation so it is a little irritating to listen to at times.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall
- H S Kinder
- 08-08-10
Poor Chief Justice Taney
How could a jurist be so wrong about the course of history. Chief Justice Taney's use of his office to attempt to derail the inevitable march of history toward the abolition of slavery is truly remarkable. As a consequence, he will forever be regarded, and properly so, as the worst Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. The book provides a scholarly historical insight into the Court's role before and during the Civil War and is well worth reading/listening. One negative is the narrator. One would hope that both the narrator and editior would familiarize themselves with the proper pronunciation of the names of key characters in the narrative. He consistently mispronounced General McClellan's name calling him McCleeeeeland. He also mispronounced General Buell's name referring to him as General Bwell. I recommend this book to all student's of Civil War history.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Chris Horton
- 05-08-15
A nice way to learn about American History
Reading along with the book I found a few cases of words or numbers that were wrong in the audio version example 130,000 said as one hundred thirty. The book teaches about an important part of American history in a great way.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Butch
- 03-01-19
Thought-provoking history
This is an interesting study of Lincoln and the centrality of his abolitionist poitical philosophy, juxtaposed against the Dred Scott decison authored by Chief Justice Taney. The narration was mediocre, but the content is thought-provoking.
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- tdg
- 04-29-17
Not exactly what I expected
This book is more parallel biographies of Lincoln and Taney. I enjoyed it but I expected more interesting insights into the interactions and conflicts between the two.
Mr. Allen's performance was at once superb and annoying. He doesn't seem to be familiar with the subject matter and constantly mispronounces names. Most annoying was his inconsistent reading of General McClellan, which occasionally he said correctly but mostly varied between Mc-Klee-lan and Mc-Klee-in. It's Mc-Klel-lan.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Scott
- 09-02-16
Bad Mispronunciation
Just one of many:
"undermined" pronounced "underminded"
Aren't audio books edited for correctness? There were many words mispronounced or pronounced different from other sources on related topics.
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Overall
- Mollynash
- 01-15-08
Annoying mispronuciation
As an American history buff, I am so disgruntled at the number of audio books available here with narrators who take no effort to correctly pronounce names and even words. Does not an editor check for the reading before uploading the book? Does not someone check facts? The author mistakes casualties numbers for battle deaths in several cases.
I have heard about every civil war book on this site and some names are read consistently wrong. To have a narrator call General McClellan as McCleelan is egregious. I will admit that the Chief Justice's name is correctly pronounced throughout the book, thank goodness.
The book had new information for me about the legal opinions and about Taney and offers more than I had previously known about Lincoln and his reactions to the Dred Scott opinion.
May I suggest footnotes be included in the readings; they are missed.
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9 people found this helpful
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- Jean
- 05-19-19
Excellent Look at the Legal Veiwpoints
Roger B. Taney (1777-1864) succeeded John Marshall (1755-1835) as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Taney served at Attorney General for Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) before being appointed as Chief Justice. Taney was a southern aristocrat but had freed his slaves. Apparently, he did not believe in slavery.
Lincoln and Taney were in constant disagreement over the interpretation of the Constitution. Simon provides more in-depth discussion of both men’s viewpoints. Both men appear more complex than what I have read about in other books. Simon focuses on the key legal quandaries from the Missouri Compromise to the constitutionally of Lincoln’s naval blockade. Simon spent some time on the conflict concerning the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus. I was most interested in the discussion regarding the conflict between the two men about the War Powers Act. At the end of the book, Simon discussed the different presidents from Lincoln (1809-1865) to Bush (1946-) and their use of the War Powers. I found the review of Lincoln’s use of the War Powers by Sandra Day O’Conner (1930-) most interesting. Simon’s discussion about Nixon and his claims over the War Powers was unsettling. It is obvious that Congress needs to take control of the War Powers Act and rescind the presidential resolution that had no end date.
The book is well written. Simon ‘s manner of writing allows a lay person to easily understand complex issues. I learned a great deal about these controversies. I have read biographies of both men, but this book concentrates on the key legal issues. I have read several of Simon’s books. I am impressed enough to want to read all his books.
The book is eleven hours and twenty-six minutes. Richard Allen does an average job narrating the book. Allen is a stage actor. He has five Audie Awards nominations for narration and four Earphone Awards. He was voted Audiophile’s Best Voice in 2008.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall
- D. Littman
- 11-25-06
a rehash without much new
Any book about Lincoln or the Civil War, taking whatever angle, is bound to have a good deal of rehash of material many of us already know, even if you are not an inveterate Civil War buff. What makes these kinds of books intriguing is the new perspectives authors can bring to the reader, and on occasion new material as well. This volume does bring some new material to light on Taney in particular, little on Lincoln, and none on the Civil War itself. It does not provide a good legal analysis of the Dred Scott decision, nor other Taney legal/career events prior (or during the War, re: habeas corpus), and does not succeed in the author's promise to thoroughly explore the relationship between Lincoln & Taney (or perhaps it does, there wasn't much of a relationship as a matter of fact).
The reader has a nice voice, but did not do his homework with respect to some terms & some names. He mispronounces place names & last names with irritating frequency, which is unfortunate. It detracts from what is otherwise quite a listenable exposition.
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18 people found this helpful