Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney
Slavery, Secession, and the President's War Powers
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney
Buy for $17.62
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Richard Allen
-
By:
-
James F. Simon
About this listen
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.
©2006 James F. Simon (P)2006 Tantor Media, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Quartet
- Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783-1789
- By: Joseph J. Ellis
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 768
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 699
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 699
From Pulitzer Prize-winning American historian Joseph J. Ellis, the unexpected story of why the thirteen colonies, having just fought off the imposition of a distant centralized governing power, would decide to subordinate themselves anew.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
bias is not good history
- By Craig on 01-24-18
By: Joseph J. Ellis
-
What Kind of Nation
- Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, and the Epic Struggle to Create a United States
- By: James F. Simon
- Narrated by: Patrick Cullen
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 121
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 110
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 108
In this dramatic and fully accessible account of these titans of the early republic and their fiercely held ideas, James F. Simon brings to life the early history of the nation and sheds new light on the highly charged battle to balance the powers of the federal government and the rights of the states. A fascinating look at two of the nation's greatest statesmen and shrewdest politicians, What Kind of Nation presents a cogent, unbiased assessment of their lasting impact on American government.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Interesting but a bit too biased for me
- By Diana Black Kennedy on 03-01-18
By: James F. Simon
-
Eisenhower in War and Peace
- By: Jean Edward Smith
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
- Length: 28 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,430
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,150
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,154
Author of the best-seller FDR, Jean Edward Smith is a master of the presidential biography. Setting his sights on Dwight D. Eisenhower, Smith delivers a rich account of Eisenhower’s life using previously untapped primary sources. From the military service in WWII that launched his career to the shrewd political decisions that kept America out of wars with the Soviet Union and China, Smith reveals a man who never faltered in his dedication to serving America, whether in times of war or peace.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Good, although biased, biography
- By Mike From Mesa on 10-15-12
-
Eisenhower vs. Warren
- The Battle for Civil Rights and Liberties
- By: James F. Simon
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 15 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 41
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 37
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 37
In Eisenhower vs. Warren, two-time New York Times Notable Book author James F. Simon examines the years of strife between them that led Eisenhower to say that his biggest mistake as president was appointing that "dumb son of a bitch Earl Warren." This momentous, poisonous relationship is presented here at last in one volume. Compellingly written, Eisenhower vs. Warren brings to vivid life the clash that continues to reverberate in political and constitutional debates today.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
A Great Review of the Fight for Civil Rights
- By Jean on 07-01-19
By: James F. Simon
-
Democratic Justice
- Felix Frankfurter, the Supreme Court, and the Making of the Liberal Establishment
- By: Brad Snyder
- Narrated by: James Fouhey
- Length: 37 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 30
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 30
The conventional wisdom about Felix Frankfurter―Harvard law professor and Supreme Court justice―is that he struggled to fill the seat once held by Oliver Wendell Holmes. Scholars have portrayed Frankfurter as a judicial failure, a liberal lawyer turned conservative justice, and the Warren Court’s principal villain. And yet none of these characterizations rings true.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great book
- By Kenneth J. Laska on 02-18-23
By: Brad Snyder
-
Thaddeus Stevens
- Nineteenth-Century Egalitarian
- By: Hans L. Trefousse
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 127
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 114
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 115
One of the most controversial figures in 19th-century American history, Thaddeus Stevens is best remembered for his role as congressional leader of the radical Republicans and as a chief architect of Reconstruction. Long painted by historians as a vindictive “dictator of Congress”, out to punish the South at the behest of big business and his own ego, Stevens receives a more balanced treatment in Hans L. Trefousse’s biography, which portrays him as an impassioned orator and a leader.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great Reviewer
- By Great Reviewer on 12-19-20
-
The Quartet
- Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783-1789
- By: Joseph J. Ellis
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 8 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 768
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 699
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 699
From Pulitzer Prize-winning American historian Joseph J. Ellis, the unexpected story of why the thirteen colonies, having just fought off the imposition of a distant centralized governing power, would decide to subordinate themselves anew.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
bias is not good history
- By Craig on 01-24-18
By: Joseph J. Ellis
-
What Kind of Nation
- Thomas Jefferson, John Marshall, and the Epic Struggle to Create a United States
- By: James F. Simon
- Narrated by: Patrick Cullen
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 121
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 110
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 108
In this dramatic and fully accessible account of these titans of the early republic and their fiercely held ideas, James F. Simon brings to life the early history of the nation and sheds new light on the highly charged battle to balance the powers of the federal government and the rights of the states. A fascinating look at two of the nation's greatest statesmen and shrewdest politicians, What Kind of Nation presents a cogent, unbiased assessment of their lasting impact on American government.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Interesting but a bit too biased for me
- By Diana Black Kennedy on 03-01-18
By: James F. Simon
-
Eisenhower in War and Peace
- By: Jean Edward Smith
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
- Length: 28 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,430
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,150
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,154
Author of the best-seller FDR, Jean Edward Smith is a master of the presidential biography. Setting his sights on Dwight D. Eisenhower, Smith delivers a rich account of Eisenhower’s life using previously untapped primary sources. From the military service in WWII that launched his career to the shrewd political decisions that kept America out of wars with the Soviet Union and China, Smith reveals a man who never faltered in his dedication to serving America, whether in times of war or peace.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Good, although biased, biography
- By Mike From Mesa on 10-15-12
-
Eisenhower vs. Warren
- The Battle for Civil Rights and Liberties
- By: James F. Simon
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 15 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 41
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 37
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 37
In Eisenhower vs. Warren, two-time New York Times Notable Book author James F. Simon examines the years of strife between them that led Eisenhower to say that his biggest mistake as president was appointing that "dumb son of a bitch Earl Warren." This momentous, poisonous relationship is presented here at last in one volume. Compellingly written, Eisenhower vs. Warren brings to vivid life the clash that continues to reverberate in political and constitutional debates today.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
A Great Review of the Fight for Civil Rights
- By Jean on 07-01-19
By: James F. Simon
-
Democratic Justice
- Felix Frankfurter, the Supreme Court, and the Making of the Liberal Establishment
- By: Brad Snyder
- Narrated by: James Fouhey
- Length: 37 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 32
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 30
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 30
The conventional wisdom about Felix Frankfurter―Harvard law professor and Supreme Court justice―is that he struggled to fill the seat once held by Oliver Wendell Holmes. Scholars have portrayed Frankfurter as a judicial failure, a liberal lawyer turned conservative justice, and the Warren Court’s principal villain. And yet none of these characterizations rings true.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great book
- By Kenneth J. Laska on 02-18-23
By: Brad Snyder
-
Thaddeus Stevens
- Nineteenth-Century Egalitarian
- By: Hans L. Trefousse
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 127
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 114
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 115
One of the most controversial figures in 19th-century American history, Thaddeus Stevens is best remembered for his role as congressional leader of the radical Republicans and as a chief architect of Reconstruction. Long painted by historians as a vindictive “dictator of Congress”, out to punish the South at the behest of big business and his own ego, Stevens receives a more balanced treatment in Hans L. Trefousse’s biography, which portrays him as an impassioned orator and a leader.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Great Reviewer
- By Great Reviewer on 12-19-20
-
JFK
- Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956
- By: Fredrik Logevall
- Narrated by: Mark Deakins
- Length: 29 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 570
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 503
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 501
By the time of his assassination in 1963, John F. Kennedy stood at the helm of the greatest power the world had ever seen, a booming American nation that he had steered through some of the most perilous diplomatic standoffs of the Cold War. Born in 1917 to a striving Irish American family that had become among Boston’s wealthiest, Kennedy knew political ambition from an early age, and his meteoric rise to become the youngest elected president cemented his status as one of the most mythologized figures in American history.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent Portrait of JFK & His Times
- By John David on 12-14-20
By: Fredrik Logevall
-
Grant
- By: Ron Chernow
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 48 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 13,262
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 11,843
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 11,778
Ulysses S. Grant's life has typically been misunderstood. All too often he is caricatured as a chronic loser and an inept businessman or as the triumphant but brutal Union general of the Civil War. But these stereotypes don't come close to capturing him, as Chernow reveals in his masterful biography, the first to provide a complete understanding of the general and president whose fortunes rose and fell with dizzying speed and frequency.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent Book (BUT WHERE IS THE PDF FILES)????
- By Amazon Customer on 10-25-17
By: Ron Chernow
-
The Civil War: A Narrative, Volume I, Fort Sumter to Perryville
- By: Shelby Foote
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 42 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5,221
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,929
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,922
The Civil War: A Narrative, Volume 1 begins one of the most remarkable works of history ever fashioned. All the great battles are here, of course, from Bull Run through Shiloh, the Seven Days Battles, and Antietam, but so are the smaller ones: Ball's Bluff, Fort Donelson, Pea Ridge, Island Ten, New Orleans, and Monitor versus Merrimac.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
OUTSTANDING! I'M PROUD TO BE A BLACK AMERICAN!!
- By The Louligan on 08-22-13
By: Shelby Foote
-
The Broken Constitution
- Lincoln, Slavery, and the Refounding of America
- By: Noah Feldman
- Narrated by: Noah Feldman
- Length: 11 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 89
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 74
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 72
Abraham Lincoln is justly revered for his brilliance, compassion, humor, and rededication of the United States to achieving liberty and justice for all. He led the nation into a bloody civil war to uphold the system of government established by the US Constitution - a system he regarded as the “last best hope of mankind”. But how did Lincoln understand the Constitution?
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Takes you to Lincoln’s time for a new understanding
- By Jason Cecil on 12-22-21
By: Noah Feldman
-
The Great Dissenter
- The Story of John Marshall Harlan, America's Judicial Hero
- By: Peter S. Canellos
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 19 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 219
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 201
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 201
They say that history is written by the victors. But not in the case of the most famous dissenter on the Supreme Court. Almost a century after his death, John Marshall Harlan’s words helped end segregation and gave us our civil rights and our modern economic freedom. But his legacy would not have been possible without the courage of Robert Harlan, a slave who John’s father raised like a son in the same household.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
A good and necessary book, BUT WHY THE BEEPS??!
- By aaron on 09-06-21
-
Empire of Cotton
- A Global History
- By: Sven Beckert
- Narrated by: Jim Frangione
- Length: 20 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 568
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 498
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 494
Here is the story of how, beginning well before the advent of machine production in the 1780s, these men captured ancient trades and skills in Asia, combined them with the expropriation of lands in the Americas and the enslavement of African workers to crucially recast the disparate realms of cotton that had existed for millennia. We see how industrial capitalism then reshaped these worlds of cotton into an empire, and how this empire transformed the world.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A New History of Global Capitalism
- By Lucian of Samosata on 03-17-15
By: Sven Beckert
-
The Power Broker
- Robert Moses and the Fall of New York
- By: Robert A. Caro
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 66 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 4,654
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 4,092
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 4,096
Robert Caro's monumental book makes public what few outsiders knew: that Robert Moses was the single most powerful man of his time in the City and in the State of New York. And in telling the Moses story, Caro both opens up to an unprecedented degree the way in which politics really happens—the way things really get done in America's City Halls and Statehouses—and brings to light a bonanza of vital information about such national figures as Alfred E. Smith and Franklin D. Roosevelt (and the genesis of their blood feud), about Fiorello La Guardia, John V. Lindsay and Nelson Rockefeller.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
AMAZING read
- By jeff on 09-15-11
By: Robert A. Caro
-
Lincoln
- By: David Herbert Donald
- Narrated by: Dick Estell
- Length: 30 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,226
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,088
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,084
In the best-selling tradition of Truman, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer David Herbert Donald offers a new classic in American history and biography - a masterly account of how one man's extraordinary political acumen steered the Union to victory in the Civil War, and of how his soaring rhetoric gave meaning to that agonizing struggle for nationhood and equality.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Lincoln not honest when it comes to his faith?
- By Carpe Diem on 07-19-19
-
Grover Cleveland
- By: Henry F. Graff
- Narrated by: Ira Claffey
- Length: 4 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 45
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 30
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 29
Though often overlooked, Grover Cleveland was a significant figure in American presidential history. Having run for President three times and gaining the popular vote majority each time, Cleveland was unique in the line of nineteenth-century Chief Executives. Presidential historian Henry F. Graff revives Cleveland's fame, explaining how he fought to restore stature to the office in the wake of several weak administrations.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Unexceptional Book about unexceptional President
- By jake_gibbs on 07-06-22
By: Henry F. Graff
-
Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream
- The Most Revealing Portrait of a President and Presidential Power Ever Written
- By: Doris Kearns Goodwin
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman, Jim Frangione
- Length: 17 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 654
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 561
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 557
Doris Kearns Goodwin's classic life of Lyndon Johnson, who presided over the Great Society, the Vietnam War, and other defining moments in the tumultuous 1960s, is a monument in political biography. From the moment the author, then a young woman from Harvard, first encountered President Johnson at a White House dance in the spring of 1967, she became fascinated by the man - his character, his enormous energy and drive, and his manner of wielding these gifts in an endless pursuit of power.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Unfortunately simple slant.
- By Lynda Rands on 01-22-17
-
Richard Nixon
- The Life
- By: John A. Farrell
- Narrated by: Dan Woren
- Length: 28 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 834
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 763
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 754
Richard Nixon opens with young navy lieutenant "Nick" Nixon returning from the Pacific and setting his cap at Congress, an idealistic dreamer seeking to build a better world. Yet amid the turns of that now legendary 1946 campaign, Nixon's finer attributes quickly gave way to unapologetic ruthlessness. It is a stunning overture to John A. Farrell's magisterial portrait of a man who embodied postwar American cynicism.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Well balanced and proportioned
- By Tad Davis on 06-04-17
By: John A. Farrell
-
A Man of Iron
- The Turbulent Life and Improbable Presidency of Grover Cleveland
- By: Troy Senik
- Narrated by: Pete Simonelli, Troy Senik
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 250
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 219
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 219
Grover Cleveland’s political career—a dizzying journey that saw him rise from obscure lawyer to president of the United States in just three years—was marked by contradictions. A politician of uncharacteristic honesty and principle, he was nevertheless dogged by secrets from his personal life. A believer in limited government, he pushed presidential power to its limits to combat a crippling depression, suppress labor unrest, and resist the forces of American imperialism.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Worth the Wait!
- By Brian S Cunningham on 09-21-22
By: Troy Senik
Critic reviews
"Surprisingly taut and gripping....a dramatic, charged narrative." (Publishers Weekly)
What listeners say about Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
- 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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- 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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
- 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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- 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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- 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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance1 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- 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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
- 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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- 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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall1 out of 5 stars
- 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.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
18 people found this helpful