Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) was the 16th president of the United States. He became president in a time of national tumult, when the American South wanted to retain its system of slavery, and the North had already abolished it. Lincoln was elected to the presidency in 1861 because his opponents on the ballot, Stephen Douglas and John Breckinridge, had split the Democratic ticket. Lincoln was elected under the Republican party. His writing and speeches have become an indelible part of American history, including the Emancipation Proclamation, and Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address.

Lincoln had campaigned with the main platform of opposing the expansion of slavery, and his presidential win triggered the Civil War between the Union of the North and the Confederacy of the South. This was an unprecedented event in American history, and in the book Lincoln on Leadership, Donald T. Phillips examines the strategies that Abraham Lincoln used to maintain his authority over the course of the Civil War, when he was subjected to constant criticism, high-stress situations, Confederate advances against the Union, and even attempted sabotage by people in his own government. Against incredible odds, Lincoln successfully shepherded the country through the Civil War and accomplished his mission of abolishing slavery due to the exceptional leadership qualities he developed over the course of his life. Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth a short time into his second term as president on April 14, 1865 and died the following day.