Abe Lincoln, Country Lawyer
BENJAMIN THOMAS, the author of the best single-volume biography of Lincoln, reminds us that following the election of President Zachary Taylor in 1848, Abraham Lincoln thought that his political career was at an end. He had served one term in Congress, where his record had not found favor with his Illinois constituents; now the door of patronage had been slammed in his face, so Lincoln settled back into the routine of a country lawyer riding circuit spring and fall, pleading cases at court sessions in seven county towns. What he learned from this experience and what it was that sorting him from this rut constitute a turning point in his life.