This work is the complete narrative of Abraham Lincolns bid for the White House from 1858 through 1860. Lincoln seemed like a long shot from the beginninga one term congressmen, hed never served as a judge or governor or in any statewide office, and he had lost two campaigns for the U.S. Senate. How, then, did he overcome several seemingly better-qualified candidates to ultimately defeat William Seward for his young partys nomination? This work offers a day-by-day account that demonstrates how Lincolns character, and his upholding of the Declaration of Independences bold statement of human equality, helped him triumph. Those traits, it is argued, were far more important than political machinations and backroom deals at the convention.