Lincoln’s many hardships as a child shaped his ambitions and strengthened his resolve to succeed as an adult.Here are 3 lessons I learned from this historical biography by Doris Kearns Goodwin, a book Bill Gates has called “ one of his all-time favorites“: After becoming president, however, Lincoln managed to bring these disgruntled opponents together to create the most unusual cabinet in American history. Lincoln quickly built momentum while his rivals rested on their laurels, thinking him to be no threat. These men all became rivals in the 1860 race for the presidency. Among the party’s high-profile members were the outspoken statesman Salmon Chase, New York Senator William Henry Seward, and prominent St. In the 1840s, after Lincoln’s party, the Whigs, split over the slavery issue, he joined the Republican party. However, these experiences only strengthened Lincoln’s resolve and ambitions. At a young age, he endured the loss of family members and suffered a strained relationship with his father. Have you ever gone through a rough patch in your life and later realized the experience prepared you for some future success?įew people knew more about the benefit of hardships than Abraham Lincoln. Listen to the audio of this summary with a free reading.fm account*:
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It is a must-read for any student of British history, or for anyone who believes they live in the afterglow of glory. It's also worth reading on an eReader with in-built dictionary - there are plenty Indian words which I wasn't familiar with (e.g. That's not the fault of the author - but in order to understand history, you have to understand the policies and personalities which led to difficult decisions. I found it, at times, to be a difficult and relentless read. I found myself popping on to Wikipedia now and again to double-check something I found incredulous - only to be appalled by the truth. Meticulously referenced to quell all doubts about the atrocities perpetuated in the name of Empire. It all builds to a compelling case that the British Empire in India was not a force for good, nor a broadly benign caretaker. It meticulously sets out the facts behind the barbarism. But that was more by accident than design. It acknowledges that, yes, some aspects of colonisation left a long-term positive impact on the region. "Inglorious Empire" strikes me as a very even-handed book - even in the face of monstrous inequality. I was vaguely aware of partition - but not the casual ignorance which caused it. Shashi Tharoor, Inglorious Empire: What the British Did to India. I learned endlessly about Churchill - but not about his racist attitudes towards the Bengal famine. I remember going on a school trip to the memorial at Ypres - but I don't remember hearing about the thousands of Indian troops who served and died. I know shamefully little about the British Empire and its colonisation of India. A copy of the book is not included in this set of resources. Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say Wearing European clothes for the first time, a young Japanese man traveled alone.
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