Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney, Brief Review

James F. Simon's Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney is an attempt to tackle two brilliant and worthy adversaries at the same time; Abraham Lincoln and Roger Taney. Simon centered the book around the three key issues of slavery, secession, and the President's war powers (this is actually the book's subtitle). The section devoted to the issue of slavery was interesting, but it offered nothing new to the existing historiography. Now, the section dealing with secession was, well, lacking. What was it lacking? Too much to list here. The most interesting section was devoted to the President's war powers and more specific the suspension of habeas corpus. Simon came down on Taney's side in this debate and held nothing back when criticizing Lincoln's war measures.

Overall, this book was an OK read, but did not add much to Lincoln studies. However, it does have some value. Books covering Taney's career and decisions (other than the Dred Scott decision) just are not being written. Simon has given readers a fuller view of Taney's life and work. His view of Taney is more sympathetic than most others that have been offered, but it is still more balanced than other works.