A Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin...Thoughts upon Reading
Then and Now, thoughts on the past, present, future...
Barely knee-deep into this multi-fathom novel, Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin, I am struck over and over by the stark differences between then and now, specifically, the difficulty of travel and the laborious and harsh economic process of writing, printing, communicating during the mid-1800s as compared to today.
And yet, considering such a great difference in speed and ease between then and now, I question how far we have really come.
In his quest for the 1860 Republican nomination, Abraham Lincoln delivered nearly two dozen speeches in Iowa, Ohio, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Kansas, in 4 months! And consider the following:
In these states, train was limited, horse power the only viable option, many of the roads extremely difficult, a journey of almost 1500 miles!
After each event, the speech was reworked, rewritten, reprinted. Hundreds of reprints of each speech were delivered.
One tile at a time, layed upon the printing table, hundreds to make a multitude of words, speeches that lasted hours in the telling.
Many of Lincoln's supporters were won by personal persuasion, by Lincoln himself devoting time to visit, to listen, to advocate. Hundreds of visits, thousands of hours, many, many miles apart.
Lincoln's accomplishments, the support he garnered, the hurdles he cleared, and ultimately, the nomination he obtained, despite barely a viable candidate at the onset, are note-worthy, even by today's standards.
There are many ingredients to success, but none the more than faith, tenacity, and perseverance. Esop knew. Moses believed. Lincoln proved.
He wasn't the only one.
He can't be the only one.
Who's next?
Hmm...🤔
Barely knee-deep into this multi-fathom novel, Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin, I am struck over and over by the stark differences between then and now, specifically, the difficulty of travel and the laborious and harsh economic process of writing, printing, communicating during the mid-1800s as compared to today.
And yet, considering such a great difference in speed and ease between then and now, I question how far we have really come.
In his quest for the 1860 Republican nomination, Abraham Lincoln delivered nearly two dozen speeches in Iowa, Ohio, Wisconsin, Indiana, and Kansas, in 4 months! And consider the following:
In these states, train was limited, horse power the only viable option, many of the roads extremely difficult, a journey of almost 1500 miles!
After each event, the speech was reworked, rewritten, reprinted. Hundreds of reprints of each speech were delivered.
One tile at a time, layed upon the printing table, hundreds to make a multitude of words, speeches that lasted hours in the telling.
Many of Lincoln's supporters were won by personal persuasion, by Lincoln himself devoting time to visit, to listen, to advocate. Hundreds of visits, thousands of hours, many, many miles apart.
Lincoln's accomplishments, the support he garnered, the hurdles he cleared, and ultimately, the nomination he obtained, despite barely a viable candidate at the onset, are note-worthy, even by today's standards.
There are many ingredients to success, but none the more than faith, tenacity, and perseverance. Esop knew. Moses believed. Lincoln proved.
He wasn't the only one.
He can't be the only one.
Who's next?
Hmm...🤔
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