Book Description
Grant wrote his "Personal Memoirs" to secure his family's future. In doing so, the Civil War's greatest general won himself a unique place in American letters. His character, sense of purpose, and simple compassion are evident throughout this deeply moving account, as well as in the letters to his wife, Julia, included here.
Customer Reviews:
U.S. Grant in his own words..........2007-06-26
U.S. Grant is often said to have been a failure at everything in his life except his marriage, war, and his memoirs. The latter, written as he was dying of throat cancer in 1884-1885, provide a straightforward account of his years in uniform during the Civil War.
Grant passes quickly over his Ohio boyhood and time at the United States Military Academy. His service in the Mexican War and his financial misfortunes out of uniform between the wars get only slightly more coverage. His story really begins with his return to uniform in 1861 as a commander of Illinois volunteers. The narrative follows Grant's campaigns in Missouri, Tennessee, Vicksburg, Chattanooga, his elevation to supreme command of the Union Armies, and the final grinding agony of the war in Virgina. The account ends with the cessation of hostilies in 1865.
Grant's memoirs are remarkable reading for a number of reasons. First, they provide insight into the first-rate military mind of a consistantly successful general. Grant's ability to determine the essentials of a situation and remain focused on them are evident. Second, the memoirs are a classic example of clear, simple, English narrative. Third, they display the considerable modesty of a naturally reserved man, a departure from the egotism often found in the personal memoirs of famous men. Grant himself continues to be something of a mystery to historians; these memoirs do not really lift the veil of his sense of privacy.
The Union Army of the Civil War had more than its fair share of politicians in uniform and politically-minded generals. Grant was not immune to spinning history his way; careful-eyed scholars have found more than a few instances where Grant remembered only part of the story or settled a few scores with old opponents. Nevertheless, Grant's memoirs are a valuable resource for understanding the conduct of the Civil War, not least because Grant became such a key figure in the winning of it.
Grant's memoirs are highly recommended to students of the Civil War, and to scholars seeking to understand the art of war in the midst of rebellion.
Review of Memoirs of US Grant.......2006-07-10
General Grant's use of the English language is very interesting and informative. Absolutely a pleasure to read.
A Masterpiece.......2006-02-22
This book is a must-read for any Civil War or American history buff. Grant's writing is consistently clear, elegant, beautiful. He gives an engaging account of his wartime experiences that are accurate to the best of his ability, and he writes with introspection and humility. The personal letters at the end of the volume reveal much about this fascinating man, and are a welcome addition. Please read this one! Another wonderful book in this series is the volume containing Frederick Douglass's autobiographical works.
A History Buff's Wet Dream..........2006-01-17
This is certainly a great book, and in parts, it is a good book. Grant has a very terse, matter-of-fact style, which makes for easy reading. The bulk of the book is devoted to the Civil War, and there are dry patches, and multitudes of "We went to the ridge, and then to the river, and moved our artillery up to the picket" and such-like. But that is what happened, and so you can't fault Grant for his meticulous detailing of troop movements, correspondence with fellow officers, etc. As I said, the great majority of the book is devoted to the Civil War, and there is not a word about Grant's tenure in the White House. Personally, of all topics covered by Grant, I find him to be most fascinating on the subject of the Mexican-American War of 1847. This is not something commonly focused on in history classes, but Grant's account is riveting. Additionally, Grant's remembrances of Lincoln are very interesting, as is his almost awed reverence for the military abilities of Sherman. The book is long, but it doesn't seem long, and if you have a love of history, this is indispensable stuff.
essential.......2005-10-04
A unique chronicle of one who saved the Union. Lucid, entertaining, and expansive. A rare view of one of the most important lives in the 19C. Highly recommended
Book Description
In this, the first major single-volume biography of Andrew Jackson in decades, H.W. Brands reshapes our understanding of this fascinating man, and of the Age of Democracy that he ushered in.
An orphan at a young age and without formal education or the family lineage of the Founding Fathers, Jackson showed that the Presidency was not the exclusive province of the wealthy and the well-born but could truly be held by a man of the people. On a majestic, sweeping scale Brands re-creates Jackson’s rise from his hardscrabble roots to his days as frontier lawyer, then on to his heroic victory in the Battle of New Orleans, and finally to the White House. Capturing Jackson’s outsized life and deep impact on American history, Brands also explores his controversial actions, from his unapologetic expansionism to the disgraceful Trail of Tears. This is a thrilling portrait, in full, of the president who defined American democracy.
Customer Reviews:
Superbly crafted biography of our 7th President.......2007-08-30
I am currently reading a biography of every President in order. Brands book on Andrew Jackson has my vote for best one volume Presidential biography I have read thus far.
Brands writing style is fluid and easy to read and the research is solid, all very important components to a biography, but these alone are not what makes this biography so great. Brands real strength lies in the way he balances and crafts his presentation. The narrative of the book is generally chronological but Brands adeptly overlaps chronology where it is helpful to the quality of the narrative and the understanding of the reader. Brands also weaves in background information masterfully, always providing enough as is required to adequately inform the reader's understanding of the main subject but never drifting too far off topic to lose the reader's interest or focus. Brands has also provided just the right balance in terms of the details and themes of Jackson's life he chooses to focus upon, providing a full portrait of Jackson and his life without losing the reader's interest on unimportant details.
In my opinion, Brands biography manages to strike the perfect balance between the reading enjoyment of narrative biography and the more in depth study of a scholarly work. I only wish every President had such a wonderful biography.
A Warring Patriot .......2007-08-06
Brands does an excellent job of bringing Andrew Jackson to life. History records that Jackson was one of the best presidents, yet our educational system says so little of him. He viciously warred with the Indians, yet sought harmonious relations with them. One gets the impression that Jackson could work with you, but if you crossed the line, he would not be your friend. A strong president at a time we needed it. A virtual George Washington. This book is quick reading, detailed and worth keeping for another read later.
Will It Ever End?.......2007-07-08
After reading biographies by such stalwarts as David McCullough and Doris Kearns Goodwin, this one was a big disappointment. It plods along for 560 pages. Far too much detail; the book could have been much shorter. Tiny type size makes the book seem even longer.
Fun and Educational Read.......2007-06-09
Every other man to serve in the White House must be seen as only "half a man" by comparison. Anyone who could fight so many hand-to-hand combats and duels, so successfully lead men into battle, suffer such wounds, British imprisonment, risk everything for the love of a woman, singlehandedly turn the tide of of the War of 1812, hold the nation together and bring, for the first time, true democracy to Washington, deserves the admiration of every American. Jackson's life could so easily be brought to the big screen to remind all of us why this great Republic represents mankind's last great chance on this planet.
his own man..........2007-04-26
Seventh president, hero of the War of 1812, military leader in the Indian wars. When he took an American Army to New Orleans in anticipation of the English landing there, he was surrounded by citizens who had not sworn their loyalty to America. He stood before them and challenged "either stand with us or against us". Old Hickory was as tough as they come and this wonderful book will fill in so many details that you didn't know about Mr. Jackson. He was the first American president who had been a prisoner of war. He stood on principle and eschewed weakness. One of our finest.
Amazon.com
When 77 slaves attempted a daring escape down the Potomac River in a schooner called the Pearl in 1848, the nation's capital--especially the dozens of prominent citizens whose domestic slaves had disappeared--was shaken by the news. In returning to this audacious but largely forgotten episode in Escape on the Pearl, Mary Kay Ricks follows the stories of many of the slaves who made the perilous attempt and in the telling gives a short history of the last decades of American slavery and the country it divided. But most fascinating is her portrait of Washington, D.C., in the years before the Civil War, where North and South came together on territory where slavery was still legal, and where, for the African American residents of the city, the relative freedoms of the North and the terrors of transport to the brutal plantation slavery of the Deep South felt equally close.
Escape on the Pearl is Mary Kay Ricks's first book, after years of research on abolitionism and local D.C. history. For our Grownup School feature she has recommended the 11 books to read on the Underground Railroad, and she also answered a few of our questions about her book:
Questions for Mary Kay Ricks
Amazon.com: How did you first come across the story of the escape on the Pearl?
Mary Kay Ricks: While researching 19th-century Washington history for a different project, I kept stumbling on references to an escape attempt on a schooner named the Pearl that set off pro-slavery riots in the streets of Washington. The incident went on to spark fierce debate on slavery in Congress--a discussion it always worked hard to avoid. I was a co-founder of Washington, D.C.'s High School Friends of SNCC during the civil rights struggle of the 1960's, so I thought I was well-versed in the struggle for freedom. Yet I had never heard the story of the Pearl, nor had most people I knew. I began researching the escape, and eventually accrued much material, even letters--never analyzed in connection with the story--that described much of the planning of the escape. I had to write this book.
Amazon.com: It was an explosive story at the time. What did the news represent for American society when it broke in 1848?
Ricks: The capture of a schooner attempting to take nearly 80 enslaved Americans to freedom on a schooner represented a breakdown of order and an organized resistance to slavery in the nation's capital that served as a harbinger of the growing conflict that would lead to the Civil War. At the same time, discussions in Congress were becoming increasingly fractious over whether slavery could be extended to the vast swath of new territory that had just come under the exclusive jurisdiction of the federal government at the conclusion of the Mexican War. Southern politicians clamored to extend slavery into those lands and Northern politicians began to come together for the first time, for a variety of different reasons, to demand that it remain free soil. It was this struggle over whether those new lands would be free, slave, or a mix of each that led directly to the Civil War.
Amazon.com: One striking thing to me about the society you describe was that there wasn't a clean line between slavery and freedom. Families--even married couples--were divided between slave and free, some slaves were working for wages to buy their freedom, and free blacks, especially after the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, were always in danger of being reclaimed into slavery. What did freedom mean for African Americans before the Civil War, and what did they do to achieve it?
Ricks: Freedom, verified by legal papers that free people were required to carry on their persons, meant that you couldn't readily be taken away and sold to a slave trader, that you had some say in where you lived and worked, and that you could possibly work hard enough to raise money to free loved ones who were still enslaved. Purchasing freedom was a project fraught with obstacles. To give an example of just how costly slaves could be, Paul Edmonson, the free father of six children who joined the Pearl escape, owned a 40-acre farm in Maryland that was valued less than any of those children was as a slave. (All 14 Edmonson children were enslaved because their mother was a slave--that was the universal law in slave jurisdictions.) Enslaved African-Americans attempting to purchasing freedom were always at an extreme disadvantage because the arrangement relied on the good faith of an owner. Slave testimonies are filled with accounts of slaves who had paid all but the last few installments on their freedom when the owner changed the terms of the contract or ignored it completely and sold the nearly free person to a trader. And the death of owner could change everything as heirs worked to undo any promises of emancipation. That happened to 11 members of the Bell family who took their chances on the Pearl.
Fear of sale or removal to the Lower South was very real. In a little known American exodus, nearly one million slaves from the Upper South were part of a forced migration to new lands, which often separated them from loved ones who were owned by different people. Slaves often knew the warning signs that their owner was looking to sell, and some were able to find contacts for passage on the Underground Railroad. But it was simply unfeasible for large numbers of slaves, even those in the Upper South, to reach freedom. Money and other resources were extremely limited and escape usually meant splitting up families, the one thing that the enslaved attempted to avoid at all cost. Escape was also terribly risky and could land a fugitive, if captured, in a worse situation in the Deep South. That is what made the Pearl escape all the more extraordinary. And for those who did successfully reach the North, there was no guarantee that they would remain free. When the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was passed, more than 20,000 fugitives from slavery who had lived in the Northern states for years packed their bags and moved to Canada. Freedom meant leaving your homes and the country you were born in.
Amazon.com: Last year, James Swanson's Manhunt painted a vivid picture of Washington, D.C., at the end of the Civil War as a small town that is hard to recognize from our perspective. Your book could be seen as a prequel to that book in a way, both in its story of how we got to the Civil War and its same close attention to the geography of the capital city. What was the Washington you describe like in the 1840s?
Ricks: Before the Civil War, Washington was a city where the majority of politicians lived in boarding houses and hotels. Neighborhoods had popped up like isolated gopher holes where a few gleaming white-marble buildings rose out of the mud surrounded by small wooden and brick houses on streets rife with loose geese, pigs, and even cows. The Capitol, the U.S. Patent Office (today's newly refurbished Portrait Gallery and Museum of American Art), the Executive Mansion, and the Post Office (now a hip downtown hotel) were then and are now spectacularly beautiful buildings. But much of the city, in contrast, looked bleak. Only Pennsylvania Avenue was paved. In 1848, long after New York, Boston, Baltimore, and even Newark had gas lighting, Congress had only just approved the formation of the Washington Gas Light Company. But theatre was popular and so were bowling, billiards, and gambling. Although many described Washington as a backwater with little sophistication, the newspaper advertisements show a surprising range of goods and foods from imported food delicacies, wines, and sherry to piano fortes. Pharmacies were well-stocked with supplies of Swedish leeches. But enormous changes would come with the Civil War. The population in the District of Columbia, about 51,000 in 1850, nearly trebled to over 130,000 by 1870. Many whites who had come to Washington for war jobs decamped the overburdened and rundown city after the war. But the 40,000 African Americans who had fled the Confederacy stayed.
Amazon.com: You share a last name with two of the fugitive slaves on the Pearl (and with some of their descendants)? Was that just a happy coincidence, or have you found a connection between their families and yours? What connections has writing about this story made for you?
Ricks: Two fugitives of the Pearl shared my last name but were not owned by people named Ricks. In fact, not one of the fugitives on board the Pearl shared a surname with an owner. My husband's family arrived in Virginia sometime in the mid-17th century as Quakers and became slave owners. They later became Baptists, probably when the Society of Friends forbade slave-owning. Harriet Beecher Stowe's Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin includes a copy of a runaway slave advertisement placed by one of my husband's ancestors. It is more likely that the fugitives on the Pearl, both of whom were transported to New Orleans with the Edmonsons, were descended from slaves who been owned at some time by a different branch of the English Ricks family who had come into Maryland many years before.
Interestingly, my family and I now feel very connected to an African-American couple from Maryland named Vernon and Janet Ricks, who are members of Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in Georgetown, a congregation which was formed in 1816 as the first black church in the District of Columbia and figures prominently in my book. Vernon Ricks, who may well be related to the two men who took a chance for freedom in 1848, and his wife are very active in their church, the NAACP, and many civic organizations. I worked with Vernon and Janet, Mt. Zion, the National Park Service, and a consortium of Georgetown organizations when I wrote and directed an historical recreation of an 1858 escape on the Underground Railroad to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the tobacco port that is now a part of the District of Columbia. Vernon took on the role of Alfred Pope, a member of Mt. Zion and one of the few Pearl fugitives who had not been sold south after capture, and Janet played his wife. Later, my family was invited to a special Sunday at Mt. Zion to honor the Ricks family that had been part of that congregation for several generations. When the Ricks family members in the church were asked to rise, my husband and I, his parents, and our two children rose as well.
Book Description
On the evening of April 15, 1848, seventy-seven slaves attempted one of history's most audacious escapes—and put in motion a furiously fought battle over slavery in America that would consume Congress, the streets of the capital, and the White House itself. Setting sail from Washington, D.C., on a schooner named the Pearl, the fugitives began a daring 225-mile journey to freedom in the North. Mary Kay Ricks's unforgettable chronicle brings to life the Underground Railroad's largest escape attempt, the seemingly immutable politics of slavery, and the individuals who struggled to end it. All the while, Ricks focuses her narrative on the intimate story of two young sisters who were onboard the Pearl, and sets their struggle for liberation against the powerful historical forces that would nearly tear the country apart.
After a terrifyingly calm night, the wind came up as the sun rose the next morning, and the small schooner shot off down the Potomac River. Hours later, stunned owners—including a former first lady, a shipping magnate, a former congressman, a federal marshal, and a Baptist minister—raised the alarm. Authorities quickly formed a posse that chased the fugitives down the river. But with a head start and a robust wind that filled their sails, the Pearl raced ahead—unaware that a violent squall was moving into their path and would halt their bid for freedom.
Escape on the Pearl reveals the incredible odyssey of those who were onboard, including the remarkable lives of fugitives Mary and Emily Edmonson, the two sisters at the heart of the story, who would trade servitude in elite Washington homes for slave pens in three states. Through the efforts of the sisters' father and the northern "conductor" who had helped organize the escape, an abolitionist outcry arose in the North, calling for the two girls to be rescued. Ultimately, Mary and Emily would go on to stand shoulder to shoulder with such abolitionist luminaries as Frederick Douglass and attend Oberlin College under the sponsorship of Harriet Beecher Stowe.
A story of courage and determination, Escape on the Pearl revives one of the most poignant chapters of U.S. history. The Edmonsons, the other fugitives of the Pearl, and those who helped them can now take their rightful place as American heroes.
Customer Reviews:
A well told tale.......2007-09-11
Here is an account of one of the boldest attempts of slaves to free themselves. In April 1848 dozens simultaneously fled from Washington, DC, in a sailing vessel provided by white sympathizers. All were captured, but the well organized attempt startled the public North and South. The author fills out the story with background about slavery in the nation's capital, and traces some of the era's major political developments relevant to human bondage. The book is informative and an easy read.
More Than a Failed Escape.......2007-03-09
This is a gripping tale.
While the book's title highlights the 1848 escape attempt on the Pearl, the contents of the book encompass much, much more. There's the story of a slave family - the Edmonsons - which Ricks follows from before the courageous but unsuccessful flight to freedom all the way into present-day Washington, DC. There's an engrossing overview of abolitionism and its firey, impatient and ultimately triumphant adherents. Ricks presents her readers with a compelling description of the underground railway. Washington is presented as the small southern town that it was then, with illuminating detail. She brings to life the mid-nineteenth century context with its wrangling and maneuvering and unforgettable characters. It was a hell of a time and she gets it.
The small hard kernel of yearning and determination that impelled this particular journey by these particular people inspires us. Here, too, is a great and continuing irony of history: Some human beings are capable of enslaving others; at the same time different human beings strive passionately to free others; still others fight to free themselves.
'Escape on the Pearl' is a terrific read.
Edward Ball loves this book.......2007-02-15
This is a great book. But don't take my word for it - Edward Ball, author of the bestseller Slaves in the Family, says "My kind of Southern history looks at slavery through people, and Mary Kay Ricks puts you on a first-name basis with the remarkable Edmonson family, who went through a mass escape, the near prostitution of two daughters, and a great homecoming. And she's found their descendants, who will tell you all about it." (quoted on the back of Escape on the Pearl).
Splendid Book, Fascinating Research.......2007-02-11
The author's knowledge of her subject is remarkable, her writing is graceful, and her judgments are consistently sound. This book is a great read, an exciting tale framed by a sharp, balanced and sensible portrayal of an era of shame, ferment and change in our history. Ricks's literal knowledge of the streets of which she writes makes this book vibrate with authenticity. I enjoyed it consistently--and learned enormously from reading Escape On The Pearl. Since I write fictional accounts of the period myself under the pen-name Owen Parry, I realize how complex a subject this author has taken on--and I can only say that it's humbling to see another writer do a far-better job than one can ever hope to do. This book deserves wide attention and, as readers, let us hope that Ricks will return to the period for additional books in the future.
discerning insightful look at the abomination of slavery.......2007-02-10
In 1848 some residents of Washington DC owned slaves though many others opposed the "curious institution". In April, conductors on the Underground Railroad try a bold freedom run using the Pearl to take seventy-seven runaway "fugitives" to freedom in the north. However, a terrible storm on the Chesapeake doomed the mission. The sheriff arrested the freedom fighters and took the recaptured slaves back to their owner who sent them to New Orleans for sale. Another twist returns the slaves to DC where Preacher and staunch abolitionist Henry Ward Beecher made efforts to get them freed and his daughter Harriet Beecher Stowe used their plight as part of her reference notes published as the Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin, two years after the classic was released.
This is a complex at times convoluted look back at a major incident of its time that has somewhat lost its significance over the subsequent century and a half. The book gets inside the heads of the slaves, slave sellers, slave owners, the Stowes and the Underground Railroad conductors. However, most fascinating besides the link to Harriet Beecher Stowe's classic is the way the citizens in the metropolitan DC area looked at slavery. Historical readers need to set aside some time because though difficult to follow because of how complex the events leading to, the event itself, and the subsequent aftereffect and outcome are, this is a discerning insightful look at the abomination of slavery.
Harriet Klausner
Book Description
Since its publication twenty-five years ago, Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men has been recognized as a classic, an indispensable contribution to our understanding of the causes of the American Civil War. A key work in establishing political ideology as a major concern of modern American historians, it remains the only full-scale evaluation of the ideas of the early Republican party. Now with a new introduction, Eric Foner puts his argument into the context of contemporary scholarship, reassessing the concept of free labor in the light of the last twenty-five years of writing on such issues as work, gender, economic change, and political thought. A significant reevaluation of the causes of the Civil War, Foner's study looks beyond the North's opposition to slavery and its emphasis upon preserving the Union to determine the broader grounds of its willingness to undertake a war against the South in 1861. Its search is for those social concepts the North accepted as vital to its way of life, finding these concepts most clearly expressed in the ideology of the growing Republican party in the decade before the war's start. Through a careful analysis of the attitudes of leading factions in the party's formation (northern Whigs, former Democrats, and political abolitionists) Foner is able to show what each contributed to Republican ideology. He also shows how northern ideas of human rights--in particular a man's right to work where and how he wanted, and to accumulate property in his own name--and the goals of American society were implicit in that ideology. This was the ideology that permeated the North in the period directly before the Civil War, led to the election of Abraham Lincoln, and led, almost immediately, to the Civil War itself. At the heart of the controversy over the extension of slavery, he argues, is the issue of whether the northern or southern form of society would take root in the West, whose development would determine the nation's destiny. In his new introductory essay, Foner presents a greatly altered view of the subject. Only entrepreneurs and farmers were actually "free men" in the sense used in the ideology of the period. Actually, by the time the Civil War was initiated, half the workers in the North were wage-earners, not independent workers. And this did not account for women and blacks, who had little freedom in choosing what work they did. He goes onto show that even after the Civil War these guarantees for "free soil, free labor, free men" did not really apply for most Americans, and especially not for blacks. Demonstrating the profoundly successful fusion of value and interest within Republican ideology prior to the Civil War, Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men remains a classic of modern American historical writing. Eloquent and influential, it shows how this ideology provided the moral consensus which allowed the North, for the first time in history, to mobilize an entire society in modern warfare.
Customer Reviews:
Early Republican Revolution.......2007-09-22
IT IS HARD TO FIND A BETTER HISTORIAN OF THE 19TH CENTURY THAN ERIC FONER. THIS BOOK HIGHLIGHTS THE MOST INETERESTING EVENTS IN THE MOST INTERESTING PERIOD OF AMERICAN HISTORY. ERIC FONER BRINGS THE STRUGGLE FOR THE CONTAINMENT AND ABOLITION OF SLAVERY TO LIFE IN THIS WELL WRITTEN AND SUPERBLY RESEARCHED WORK. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THE HISTORY OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AND ANTEBELLUM AMERICA YOU NEED THIS BOOK.
IN THE HEROIC AGE OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.......2007-09-01
In the year 2007 it is quite easy to dismiss the American Republican Party of one George Bush and his cabal out of hand as a gang of yahoos and incompetents. And one, frankly, would be right in those characterizations. But the book under review tells a tale of a different Republican Party, a party forged among other things in the crucible of the battle against slavery in the immediate pre-Civil War period. That party of Lincoln (although he was ultimately merely the most famous of an outstanding group of men who forged that party) was one that modern leftists can proudly claim as our own. Karl Marx was not wrong in his appreciation of Lincoln and of the Republican Party in its struggle against slavery and for the unification of the country. Eric Foner tells the story of how all of the forces finally coalesced in 1956 to create that party and of its success in 1860.
A number of commentators, including this writer, have over the years argued that a political realignment and separation of the various political tendencies in this country is long, too long overdue. What others mean by that realignment I will leave to them. For myself, I make no bones that we need a workers party to directly represent the political interests of the working masses and their allies. On the other side some argue that America has always been, more or less, well served by the two-party system. And that is really my point. In the period from about 1840 to that decisive 1860 election there was the kind of turmoil that created the necessary realignment of that two- party system. The old two- party system just could not hold the forces that were splitting the country. In the end the formerly powerful Whig Party and vital parts of the Northern Democratic Party went down with barely a whimper. The Republican Party gathered together all those forces that were interested in ending slavery and creating a unified, efficient capitalist system. That in the end it all turned to dross in a fairly short time after the Civil War does not take away from the grandeur of the effort and its necessity.
I would point out to readers that Professor Foner does a very credible job of showing the numerous and sometimes counterposed strategies that the various anti-slavery forces from the Garrisonians to the Free Soil Party supporters put forth. He also pays attention to the various forces, including the little studied Liberty and Free Soil parties, the Barnburner Democrats, Conscience Whigs and others who coalesced in the Republican Party. He also details the strategies of the conservative elements that would latter dominate the post-war Republican party as well as the strain of nativism (exemplified by the explosive, if short-lived, development of the Know-Nothing party) that one can still see in that party today on the immigration question. In all, this is a well-researched and footnoted academic work that can serve a as jumping off point for making our arguments today for that desperately needed realignment of American politics.
The Significance of Republican Ideology.......2002-11-17
The Civil War era is surely one of the most complex, controversial, and tumultuous periods in our nation's history and one of the most difficult to capture. "Free Soil, Free Labor, ..." is a sterling effort to provide insight into the social philosophies of the time that almost inevitably led to the breakup of the Union. While ostensibly concerned with the ideology of the Republican Party leading up to the Civil War, the author clearly shows that the Republicans also both reflected and advanced the belief system that came to permeate much of the North.
A key component of Northern thinking emphasized a free labor and producer ethic, which extolled the virtues of free, independent, and propertied working men. Dependency was eschewed as evidence of personal shortcoming. But the institution of slavery violated that ethic in every way. Not only were slaves not free, but also Southern aristocratic society degraded free labor. To be a free laborer in the South was to be a member of a lower class. These diametrically opposed views of labor were the basis of an ongoing controversy dating from the Missouri Compromise over the issue of permitting slavery in newly obtained territories or newly admitted states. The Northern and Republican position was one of "free soil," for free laborers.
Though not emphasizing the chronological history of the Republican Party, the author traces the assimilation into the party of members or adherents of the Abolitionists, the Liberty Party, the Free Soil Party, anti-slavery Democrats and Whigs, the Know-Nothings, and the so-called radical Republicans. A good sampling of the pronouncements of the leading Northern political figures of the era as well as the positions of key newspaper publishers is quite illuminating. It is a mild criticism of the book that the author, in following the historical trail, at times provides insufficient background on historical events that he refers to such as the Wilmot Proviso, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Lecompton controversy, etc.
Certainly much of the rise of the Republican Party was due to a concern of Northern Whigs and Democrats that the political process in Washington was being dominated by a southern Slave Power. That Slave Power was seen as a force intent on expanding the geographical reach of slavery. Every attempt at expansion of slave territory drove more and more people to the ranks of the parties that became the Republican Party. The author is keen to point out that while anti-slavery was a moral crusade on the part of some Republicans, for most the prevention of the Slave Power in expanding its reach and the preservation and expansion of Northern society superceded any moral imperative to emancipate slaves.
It is not the author's intent to directly list the causes of the Civil War, yet it would be difficult to deny the relevance of this book in answering those questions. But the author does address some claims of causation. While not denying that protective tariffs were controversial issues, he downplays their overall significance. For one, many leading Republicans were free traders, not protectionists. Republicanism was not simply warmed over Whiggery intent on protecting industry. In fact, many Republicans had a distrust of emerging corporations. In addition, he gives little credence to suggestions that the Civil War represents either a failure of political compromise or political incompetence.
The author amply demonstrates that the election of President Lincoln in 1860 constituted a culminating point for both the North and the South. Clearly, the Republicans had emerged as a voice for a Northern society that was based on entrepreneuralism, free labor, progress, and expansion. For the South, the election of Republicans was seen as a dire threat to a way of life wholly different than that of the North. No longer the foremost power in Washington, Southerners had grave misgivings concerning the designs of Republicans on dismantling their society. And neither the Democrats who had stared down John Calhoun in the Nullification Crisis or the Republicans with a Whig background of Henry Clay's Americanism were about to simply let the South secede.
According to the author there was "the conviction that North and South represented two social systems whose values, interests, and future prospects were in sharp, perhaps mortal, conflict with one another." And for those who would downplay the essential role of slavery in the impending conflict, the author quotes another historian as indicating that "By 1860, slavery had become the symbol and carrier of all sectional differences and conflicts."
In an introduction twenty-five years after the original, the author acknowledges that the ideology of free labor was already fraying by 1860. In the first place, by that point more than half of all men were wage earners and not independent workers. Secondly, the Republican fiction that both capital and labor had similar interests was belied by the greater power of capital to make the employment relationship hardly free. But those realities rose to the front after the Civil War as industrialism really expanded.
For those who would have wanted a bigger and more comprehensive book, there is merit in that. The book is somewhat narrowly focused. That is not to deny that the capturing of Republican ideology is not a significant contribution. But Southern reactions as the Republican Party was growing would have been interesting. But this book should be on the list of anyone wanting to understand the Civil War era.
Scholarly Work.......2001-04-16
This was the second book I read on the Civil War, following James McPherson's excellent `Battle Cry of Freedom'. I was led to read it because of my interest in the strange reversal of fortune of the Republican Party amongst African Americans. Why did the party of Lincoln, and more importantly The Radicals, gain less than 10% of the Black vote in 2000? Actually this book doesn't really answer that question, what it does explore (in some detail) is the origins of the Republican Party. That is why I have referred to it as a `Scholarly Work', the quality of Foner's research is formidable and together with William Geinapp's similar book provide a indispensable guide, not just to the historical events, but as the title suggests - to the underlying ideology that tied some very diverse politicians together. Furthermore in a key chapter (`The Republican Critique of the South') Foner analyses the root of those beliefs.
A book about the rise of GOP, not the causes of the war.......2001-01-02
Ryan Setliff reviews a different book than I read. I left with the book with an impression why slavery was the root cause of the formation the Republican party.
Foner doesn't not debate that economics or other causes were not the reason for many events in the 1850's, but only if you dig deep enough into the causes of those causes you'll find the slavery issue lurking around. Slavery bound the Republicans together like no other cause, and it was that issue that was the reason for the creation of the party. Foner makes an rather hard to debate argument on that score.
The reasons for secession are not the subject of the book, and is hardly touched. Tariff's may be the primary reason of that events, but the reason for the Republican party gaining power causing the lattest tariff battle is slavery. There would have been no tariff war with out the Republican's in power. Or at least not in the fall of 1960.
Read this book if you wish to find about the beginnings of the GOP, don't read this book if you wish to find the causes of the Civil War as that is not the focus of the book.
Book Description
In this panoramic tour of America's military past, acclaimed artist Don Troiani once again turns his brush to the wars of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, focusing on the storied battles of those conflicts. From the French and Indian War through the Civil War, Troiani brings his flair for painstaking detail and high drama to such famous battle scenes as Bushy Run, Bunker Hill, Cowpens, Burnside's Bridge at Antietam, Little Round Top at Gettysburg, and Chickamauga. Narratives by leading military historians accompany the paintings and provide background stories that are as exciting as they are informative. For many of the pieces, Troiani has written insightful and often humorous commentary on the joys, surprises, and challenges of the creative process, offering a rare glimpse of the artist at work. Don Troiani's American Battles is his most unique work to date, a must-have for newcomers and old fans alike.
Customer Reviews:
Don Troiani's "American Battles".......2006-11-11
For anyone even vaguely interested in American history, Don Troiani's paintings are a wonderful revelation, bringing the past to life. I already own "Don Toiani's Civil War", "Soldiers in America" and "Regiments and Uniforms of the Civil War", all of which are meticulously investigated and reserched. Troiani's huge achievement is that he is able to combine accurate detail with a marvelous, almost supernatural, empathy with his subjects. His paintings really do bring history to life. The figures flow naturally and inhabited an environment filled with tangible space and light. No stiff and rigid historical painting here. This latest offering combines previously published paintings, found in the others of his books, with newer ones. They cover battles that took place on the American continent from the first colonies in Massachusetts, to the last days of the American Civil War. What is different to his previous books is the addition of much more background information about the artist himself and his methods of working. I would thoroughly recommend this beautifully illustrated book to all lovers of American history and narrative painting. For the military historian and those with an interest in military dress and the soldier's life, it is a 'must have'.
Great........2006-10-31
I recently became interested in Don Troiani's works after purchasing a Civil War Print (The Eagle of the Eighth) at an auction. It was great and after doing a little research found that Don Troiani is one of the best. I recently took a trip to Gettysburg (actually as part of the result of this purchase)and was amazed at what I saw. This is my first purchase of one of his books, but it won't be my last. I'm not an art critic, but I would highly urge anyone interested in the Civil War to purchase one of Mr.Troiani's books or works, they're great.
A "Must Have" Book for Troiani Fans and Militaria Collectors!.......2006-09-05
OK, I am admittedly a huge fan of Don Troiani's amazing artwork and own several of his art prints and all of his prior books. Even then, however, I initially questioned the purchase of his latest book on American battles. Wow ..... am I ever glad I went ahead with the purchase! This new book is intended as a "best of" his artwork and places my favorite Troiani paintings in one single reference volume. If you are a new Troiani fan, or new to the history field, the book is also quite a value considering the huge amount of artwork contained inside.
I was first drawn to Troiani's paintings years ago because of the historical authenticity depicted in each painting. The accouterment for each figure is precise and I found myself even referring to the paintings as a reference source for my militaria collecting. An added benefit of the book is that for the first time Troiani reveals how the paintings were created and explains the unique techniques he employs to achieve an unparalleled level of authenticity. The insider's account of the complexities involved in recreating these scenes makes me appreciate his artwork even more!
Troiani is going to have to work quite hard to top this book which is now proudly displayed on my coffee table to impress guests!
From the mind of the artist.......2006-08-24
Having admired the artwork of Mr. Troiani throughout the years, I've come to recognize certain aspects in each piece. This new book delves into the mindset he had as the research was complete, but the image from his mind had to be put into motion then to canvas. Seeing the photos of modeling sessions and rough sketches expands the experience so much more than just taking in the image. He not only paints a scene with his brush but also with his words when decribing finding the right looking model, tree, field, gun and clothing. What I especially like is finding out who some of the models have been, from the sculptor Ron Tunison to noted collectors of Civil War items. Anyone can be envious of his artistic talent, but when it comes to authenticy, research and pains-taking accuracy no one can compare to Mr. Troiani and this he shares in this wonderful compilation!
* I look forward to his next book in 2007 *
Most of the same...almost.......2006-08-23
As much as I admire the artwork and historical research that goes into Troiani's paintings I'm very disappointed with Don Troiani's latest book AMERICAN BATTLES, The art of the nation at war,1754-1865. The best part of the book is the inclusion of some new Revolutionary War and Civil War paintings and figure studies. I wish Troiani's earlier books would have contained an Artist's Comments section as well as photos of his models and some in progress work. If this had been the case there would have been very little that was "fresh" in this volume. In addition to text for the battle paintings there normally is text for the single figure studies as well as the artifacts from Troian's collection. This time around the figure studies and artifacts are merely "filler" without any descriptive text. I found the title AMERICAN BATTLES a little misleading. The period of 1784-1859 is covered in a mere 7 pages with only one painting really having any text aside from a title.Though I own all of the books featuring Mr. Troiani's work, one can only enjoy a repackaged product for so long. I'd prefer a 4-5 year period between books in order to get a product that contains newer rather than older works.The 2 star rating may be a bit harsh, but there's just not enough to get excited about here.~Gary
Book Description
Millard Fillmore has been mocked, maligned, or, most cruelly of all, ignored by generations of historians--but no more! This unbelievable new biography finally rescues the unlucky thirteenth U.S. president from the dustbin of history and shows why a man known as a blundering, arrogant, shallow, miserable failure was really our greatest leader.
In the first fully researched portrait of Fillmore ever written, the reader can finally come face-to-face with a misunderstood genius. By meticulously extrapolating outrageous conclusions from the most banal and inconclusive of facts, The Remarkable Millard Fillmore reveals the adventures of an unjustly forgotten president. He fought at the Battle of the Alamo! He shepherded slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad! He discovered gold in California! He wrestled with the emperor of Japan! It is a list of achievements that puts those of Washington and Lincoln completely in the shade.
Refusing to be held back by established history or recorded fact, here George Pendle paints an extraordinary portrait of an ordinary man and restores the sparkle to an unfairly tarnished reputation.
Customer Reviews:
Pendle for President!.......2007-08-07
Pull on your nightcap, drop an extra marshmallow in your cocoa and plump a fresh pillow for teddy - bedtime will never be the same again! If you crave a little excitement before your nine hours of the dreamless then I wholeheartedly recommend Pendle's hilarious romp through one of the more obscure backwaters of American history as the perfect nightcap. This is rib-tickling, tummy-tingling writing of the highest caliber - a rollicking boys-own rampage through the ludicrous life of the unlucky 13th president of the USA. You will be utterly, unutterably delighted by some of the scrapes and japes that beset Fillmore in a playful commentary that will have you wiping the tears from your eyes (tears of joy, such a refreshing change). Stop reading this review and buy it now (I said stop reading).
A sophomoric insult to real biographers and historians.......2007-07-31
This book is neither fish nor fowl: neither a real biography (it should be catalogued, shelved and marketed as "Humor" and not as Biography) nor particularly funny satire. It's really more of a sophomoric mocking of biographers and historians who conduct actual research and write compelling stories of people's lives. It's just not funny, but rather silly in a way-too-full-of-himself way. Do not waste your money.
Hard to tell where the "joke" is.......2007-07-08
As we learned with the author's poorly researched last book, he is not above making things up when it suits his theory or whim. Here, he makes the whole book up in a misguided effort to be amusing in an effete drawing room style. The truth is that the entire book would amount to a three minute Saturday Night Live sketch or maybe two pages in MAD magazine. I really don't know why you would bother with this book.
Fascinating and deeply chucklesome.......2007-06-15
George Pendle has managed literary alchemy turning a dull base president into gold. He writes so well that each sentence is a masterpiece of surrealist wordsmithery. One could be forgiven for being distracted or even dismissive of the footnotes, but they are as much part of the picture as the main text, and had me laughing out loud regularly. There are flavours of monty python ridiculousness, the flashman novels and the language skills of will self - i eagerly await this author's next offering.
Bog-lover, mystic, doofus, president.......2007-05-22
This is easily the funniest book ever written about any American president (I'm looking at you, Melville) -- and what a president. Fillmore's inspiring story provides great guidance to all Americans as we approach the 2008 presidential campaign, because surely we should be in search of a successor worthy of Pendle's Fillmore, a man blessed by fortune who nevertheless was without guile. In short, this is a great book about a great man and who the hell cares about what Thurlow Weed thought about tariffs on whale oil?
Book Description
The first president born after America's independence ushers in a new era of no-holds-barred democracy The first "professional politician" to become president, the slick and dandyish Martin Van Buren was to all appearances the opposite of his predecessor, the rugged general and Democratic champion Andrew Jackson. Van Buren, a native Dutch speaker, was America's first ethnic president as well as the first New Yorker to hold the office, at a time when Manhattan was bursting with new arrivals. A sharp and adroit political operator, he established himself as a powerhouse in New York, becoming a U.S. senator, secretary of state, and vice president under Jackson, whose election he managed. His ascendancy to the Oval Office was virtually a foregone conclusion.Once he had the reins of power, however, Van Buren found the road quite a bit rougher. His attempts to find a middle ground on the most pressing issues of his day-such as the growing regional conflict over slavery-eroded his effectiveness. But it was his inability to prevent the great banking panic of 1837, and the ensuing depression, that all but ensured his fall from grace and made him the third president to be denied a second term. His many years of outfoxing his opponents finally caught up with him.Ted Widmer, a veteran of the Clinton White House, vividly brings to life the chaos and contention that plagued Van Buren's presidency-and ultimately offered an early lesson in the power of democracy.
Customer Reviews:
A strong summary.......2007-03-14
Van Buren had a lengthy and complex career, from his rise in New York politics in the early 19th Century to becoming the first ex-President to be seriously considered for a new term in 1844, until his unpopular opposition to annexing Texas led to the upset nomination and victory of James Polk. In a short book of under 200 pages, Widmer can't discuss all of this in detail. He makes a good decision to focus on Van Buren's work as a political organizer and in large part the founder of the Democratic Party, when he brought together the Northern and Southern factions which had supported Andrew Jackson in 1824 to back his successful return in 1828. He obviously covers, but doesn't really emphasize, Van Buren's single term as President, made a failure by an economic collapse that he had nothing to do with.
It is as the founder of the Democratic Party and as Jackson's right hand that Van Buren made his most important contributions to history. Democrats generally prefer to assign this role to the more revered Jefferson, but the parties of his era were such loose and unorganized groupings that they were more factions than real political parties. True national parties, with national conventions and permanent structures date to the era of Jackson, and probably nobody had more to do with creating them than Van Buren.
Also included here are other major events of Jackson's presidency, such as the "war of the Petticoats" and the nullification crisis. It was these controversies that led Jackson to break with John Calhoun, naming Van Buren as his Vice President and natural successor.
Widmer has worked in the White House as a speechwriter for Clinton, and refers to that experience and the Clinton presidency several times. Some reviewers thought that a distraction from the proper subject of the book; I thought it added contemporary interest and showed a continuity of politics across very different eras.
On the whole this book is interesting, readable and informative. It recounts a substantial amount of history in a concise package.
Many Gaps Left in the Story.......2005-11-19
If you want a book about the highlights (and only the highlights) of Martin Van Buren's public service career then buy this book.
This book had alot of gaps in it. It kept saying that he was an up and coming star and that he was a political mastermind, but it never once said why he was a star and what manuevers he made to make him a mastermind.
I agree with the other reviewer about Bill Clinton. This was supposed to be a book about the 8th president not the 42nd. I found the constant refrences to Bill Clinton to be out of place. I guess that the author was drawing on his own experience with a president.
The only reason that I bought this book is that it is a short and concise biography of Van Buren. I am trying to read a biography of each of the presidents and did not want to spend alot of time reading a 500-600+ page book on one of the lesser known presidents. I think that the book could have been longer (say about 300 to 350 pages)in order to further detail the career of Van Buren.
Flippant writing style, flittering approach to subject.......2005-11-12
I've read probably more than my share of presidential biographies and this book is probably the worst (as in "unprofessionally written") bio I have ever come across. Period.
It's not the subject. It's Mr. Widmer's flippant, "terminally hip", straight-out-of-People-Magaine, style of writing.
What do I mean? Well, the first thing that struck me was that though the book is not very long -- which given the fairly obscure subject matter is understandable -- the rambling intro to this work IS long. We're talking someting like twenty+ pages!
I kept reading page after page after page of the intro and found myself wondering "Ok. So where's the actually book??" I mean, was the author getting paid by the word or something?
And the work itself...again, "flippant" is the work that pretty much sums it up. Ex-president Bill Clinton was mentioned more than once, as well as BC and his intern Monica L. were also mention (in a book about Martin Van Buren?), The sainted (to Mr. Widmer) FDR is also mentioned several times, likewise Hollywood's Steven Spielburg and TV-producer Aaron Spelling... yeah, I know. In about about Martin Van Buren?? But then, I just said these folks were mentioned in Mr. Widmer's book. I didn't say that had any thing to DO with the subject of the book.
In addition, there were terrible gaps/unresolved events in VB life that the writer skipped over. For example: The young VB, an up and coming legal eagle, goes to NYC and there hones his legal skills + moves in very lofty circles + became close friends of titans like Aaron Burr, etc., and then, we are told, that after 6 years of this that VB up and left NYC to become a law partner with this step-brother in some little town in upstate NY. The end. Huh??
A young, rising attorney moving strickly "Class A" social circles in NYC, suddenly drops everything and buries himself in the country? And there's no explaination by the writer. Probably b/c he doesn't know either.
Another example, VB's wife suddenly dies (She just dies. No accident, no illness, her time just ran out) and he is left widower with three young sons. What arrangements does he make for those children, esp. as he is now a mover-and-shaker in DC by now. Again, we'll never know. The three boys simply ***PPIFF*** off the radar and we (the readers) don't learn of them again until they are young men. Granted, it's not vital but it is a loose end, and it would go a long way in fleshing out the personal side of VB. Again, maybe the writer himself didn't know.
And so it goes....
The book is littered with things like this: dead ends, loose ends, and washed out bridges. This book isn't writing. It's pop journalism. Strickly "People" magazine school of journalism. I gave it one star b/c, heck, if you can pick it up for a quarter at a yard sale go ahead and get it, read it. Otherwise, save your money.
Great........2005-07-31
The most important part of this book is the discussion about how Martin Van Buren pretty much created the two-party system in the U.S. The idea that an organization and it's policy positions should take precedence over any particular individual was an important change in American politics. Furthermore, it led to an important advance in the spreading of democracy in the U.S. Of course, as with all changes, these changes did not come without costs. But the country is, for the most part, better because of Van Buren's party leadership. As for his presidency, who cares?
An engaging look at a forgotten president.......2005-04-12
Ted Widmer's new biography of Martin Buren sets out to rescue this forgotten president from obscurity and give him much of the credit for creating the modern Democratic party. The book that emerges is a solid, engaging introduction to a president most of us know nothing about. (Were you aware, for example, that he grew up in Kinderhook, NY speaking Dutch before he ever spoke English?)
Widmer sketches Van Buren's rapid rise from poverty to power in New York, his unlikely alliance with Andrew Jackson, and his own one-term presidency cursed by the 19th century version of the Great Depression (The Great Panic of 1837) and the increasingly rancorous national debate over slavery. He paints a compelling picture of Van Buren trying to stake out the middle ground, a hated by both sides as he clings to a center that will not hold.
One thing that seems to stand out 150 years after Van Buren's death is the irrational intensity of the hatred directed against him, seemingly all out of proportion to his deeds or alleged misdeeds. Widmer worked for another centrist president who inspired a good deal of hatred-Bill Clinton-and one senses that the parallels there may be part of the reason he was drawn to Van Buren as a subject.
His thesis that Van Buren almost singlehandly gave birth to the modern political party is intriguing, but perhaps a bit of a stretch. His arguments reminded me of a prosecutor who makes a bold opening statement about the defendant's guilt, but then can't quite back it up with the evidence. He may well be right, but I'm not entirely convinced. Still, it is a thought provoking idea that helps readers get a handle on Van Buren.
Widmer's style incorporates a bit of the speechwriter and a bit of the scholar, and benefits from both. He throws in numerous modern political and pop culture references (from George Bush to Vito Corleone) that are only occasionally annoying, and he keeps the story moving forward at a good pace. (At 208 pages, the book is anything but a heavy tome). There are some amusing anecdotes-my favorite is a wonderful story of Van Buren as a former president stuck in a small town on a national tour and spending a hilarious evening of storytelling in the company of a young politician on the rise named Abraham Lincoln.
Ultimately, Van Buren remains elusive, hard to know. Was he an idealist trying to steer a moderate course, or a politician adept at being all things to all people? (Again, the echoes of Bill Clinton). One thing we know for sure: he is the president who popularized the expression "O.K." in his 1840 re-election bid (one of his many nicknames was "Old Kinderhook") and he deserves to be remembered. This book is a good way to do so.
Book Description
Wearied by the hotly contested "Log Cabin and Hard Cider" campaign that unseated the Democratic incumbent, Martin Van Buren, Harrison succumbed to pneumonia after only one month in office, the first chief executive to die in the White House. His death precipitated a governmental crisis, which Vice President John Tyler promptly resolved--to the consternation of his Whig Party--by claiming the office and title of president, thus setting a precedent that only later was codified in the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the Constitution.
Instead of the pliable Harrison, the Whigs confronted in Tyler a tenacious defender of presidential prerogative and a formidable foe of their plan to establish congressional supremacy over the executive branch. Threatened with impeachment, repeatedly exhorted to resign, banished from the Whig Party, abandoned by his cabinet, and burned in effigy, Tyler stood firm and maintained the integrity of the presidential office.
Peterson argues that the Tyler administration deserves more credit than it has received for what was accomplished--and preserved--under difficult circumstances.
This book is part of the American Presidency Series.
Customer Reviews:
An important contribution.......2003-07-15
To my knowledge, this is the most recent bio on John Tyler, our tenth president. Tyler's presidential contributions are debated by scholars. This book highlights past scholarship and is quite detailed on the political events and people surrounding Tyler's presidency. It does an adequate job of setting the stage by explaining what was happening in American culturally and economically at the time of Tyler's term. John Tyler was a president without a party. He was despised and harangued throughout his term, and despite the trememdous pressures, he did some very important things. These acts and their later role on our nation, is well presented in Peterson's book. I still came away with mixed feelings about Tyler. I think this is because the views of him are so contradictory. Another book to compliment this one is Seager's and Tyler Too. Seager's book details Tyler, the man, and his married life to Julia Gardiner. Without reading both books it is tough to get a full picture. Highly recommended for a detailed and comprehensive look at Tyler's presidency. Well researched, many primary sources (letters) and a full bibliography in the back.
A Review: The Presidencies of Wm. H. Harrison and John Tyler.......2000-05-07
This book fairly and vividly relates the "accidential" presidency of John Tyler. The author conveys the unique difficulties faced by Tyler as he assumes the presidency from W. H. Harrison. In fact, Tyler was most courageous in standing firm against Henry Clay and his Whig cohorts, who tried extremely hard to bully Tyler into submission. Norma Peterson, the author, provides credit where it is due, be it with Tyler or his equally courageous Secretary of State, Daniel Webster. The story in total flows extremely well, and maintains the interest of the reader throughout. The author's stance overall is pro-Tyler, and she bases this on clear reasoning and factual analysis. In total I agree with her position, that Tyler has received far less credit for his accomplishments and strength of presidential character than most historians have given him.
A GREAT ANALYSIS!!.......1999-09-30
THIS BOOK IS TYPICAL OF THE ENTIRE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS PRESS PRESIDENTIAL SERIES. GREAT INSITE OF THE GROWING UNITED STATES DURING OUR POLITCAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE UGLY SIDE OF PERSONAL POLITICS. INTRIGUE REACHED A FEVERED PITCH WITH LESSOR KNOWN INDIVIDUALS ELECTED AS PRESIDENT WHILE THE ICONS, CLAY, BENTON, WEBSTER AND CALHOUN HELD OUR COUNTRY IN THE SENATE.
An exciting and scary period in history - well covered.......1999-04-16
This book reads more like a novel than the Polk book in this series (which I found to be very informative). This book is well documented. There is a sense that the author is generally sympathetic to and sometimes apologetic for Tyler and Webster - However I am not informed enough to know if this is a bias or a valid conclusion on the part of the author. With Tyler becoming the first VP to 'inherit' the presidency after the death of Harrison, our country was still navigating in the dark waters of our constitution and a world of threats (Mexico and England). Major players such as Clay, Webster, and Calhoon dominate the scene. Tyler's presidency would make a fine fiction drama. Misplaced trust, overwhelming ambition, and the drumbeat of sectionalism. I very much enjoyed this book.
Book Description
John Brown is a lightning rod of history. Yet he is poorly understood and most commonly described in stereotypes -- as a madman, martyr, or enigma. Not until Patriotic Treason has a biography or history brought him so fully to life, in scintillating prose and moving detail, making his life and legacy -- and the staggering sacrifices he made for his ideals-fascinatingly relevant to today's issues of social justice and to defining the line between activism and terrorism.
Vividly re-creating the world in which Brown and his compatriots lived with a combination of scrupulous original research, new perspectives, and a sensitive historical imagination, Patriotic Treason narrates the dramatic life of the first U.S. citizen committed to absolute racial equality. Here are his friendships (Brown lived, worked, ate, and fought alongside African Americans, in defiance of the culture around him), his family (he turned his twenty children by two wives into a dedicated militia), and his ideals (inspired by the Declaration of Independence and the Golden Rule, he collaborated with black leaders such as Frederick Douglass, Martin Delany, and Harriet Tubman to overthrow slavery).
Evan Carton captures the complex, tragic, and provocative story of Brown the committed abolitionist, Brown the tender yet demanding and often absent father and husband, and Brown the radical American patriot who attacked the American state in the name of American principles. Through new research into archives, attention to overlooked family letters, and reinterpretation of documents and events, Carton essentially reveals a missing link in American history.
A wrenching family saga, Patriotic Treason positions John Brown at the heart of our most profound and enduring national debates. As definitions of patriotism and treason are fiercely contested, as some criticize religious extremism while others mourn religion's decline, and as race relations in America remain unresolved, John Brown's story speaks to us as never before, reminding us that one courageous individual can change the course of history.
Customer Reviews:
Maybe true evil sometimes requires an equal response.......2007-09-27
A balanced biography of a complex man, "Patriotic Treason", is both scholarly and involving. A rich, anecdote-laden text, it easily moves between chronicling the life of abolitionist John Brown and describing the larger tapestry of American life in the 1850s.
The book is chockful of dramatic scenes and thematic discussions, including- as pointed out in the other Amazon reviews of this book- the question of whether it's acceptable and perhaps even a moral obligation to sometimes break the law in favor of a greater good. Mr. Carton covers the question well, quoting leading figures of the time who address that very question in response to Mr. Brown's well-publicized actions.
The book is sobering at times, and not just for the expected reasons (like being reminded again of how terribly slaves were treated or how much widespread support there was for slavery in this supposed land of liberty). No, what I found surprising is that among whites who didn't like slavery and even among outright abolitionists, there was very little use or affection for blacks. Most just wanted them deported or resettled somewhere else, where they wouldn't compete for American jobs or mingle with the more "refined" white race.
John Brown, on the other hand, actively befriended blacks all his life, had them over to his house for dinner with his family (unprecedented!), humbly solicited advice from his black friends on a variety of matters, and regularly interacted with blacks in all kinds of other "normal" ways. For John Brown, abolition wasn't just the right answer to an academic question or a detached moral opinion that had little to do with one's daily life. John Brown lived his anti-slavery views because he lived side by side with blacks every day. Whatever excesses Mr. Brown may or may not have undertaken later when he put his anti-slavery views into action, that fact scored points with me.
If you check out my other Amazon reviews, you'll see that I don't read a lot of biographies or memoirs, but every now and then I dive into one. I'm really glad "Patriotic Treason" grabbed my attention. It illuminates a shameful part of U.S. history and again debunks the tired mantra among many that we need to return to the values of our historical past. No, many of those "values" should stay in the past where they belong. It was a dark, evil time in many ways, and John Brown played a huge part in helping this country move beyond it.
Superb.......2007-01-03
And...written by a Texan, too! Every detail of Brown's life is told here, from his humble beginnings to his single-handed start of the Civil War. Worth the 15 hours unabridged.
A telling of Brown's life that leaves space for you to decide what to make of this complex man.......2006-12-16
John Brown's attempt to free slaves by sparking a national uprising through the assault on the Harpers Ferry in October 1859 was a complete and utter failure when measured by how quickly they were thwarted, how many of Brown's men died in the attempt or by execution. Yet, his communications during his trial and from prison galvanized the hardest of abolitionists in the north (including the Transcendentalists such as Emerson and Thoreau) and the secessionists in the south. More than a few people believe it was the reaction to this raid that set events in process that led to the ferocious bloodshed of the Civil War less than eighteen months later.
Was Brown a madman acting in a crazed spasm or emotion? That judgment has changed radically in the near century and a half since his execution. Immediately afterward, the largest popular reaction was negative because it was lawless and was an assault on the Federal Government. Some of the most extreme abolitionists did hold him up as a kind of messianic figure. When I was in high school, he was regarded as someone hardly worth mentioning. He was clearly crazed and criminal to boot. In the past decade several books and documentaries have taken another look and come to a much more favorable view of Brown. Some even see him much as the Transcendentalists talked about him right after he was hanged.
Evan Carton focuses more on the life of Brown and only gets into the societal issues in a couple of places. He does a fine job in keeping the life Brown lived front and center rather than letting it stand for whatever his supporters or detractors would have it be. Carton trusts the reader enough to let him decide for himself. This is quite important for the modern reader who likely knows little about Brown because of the issues his life raises for our own time. Is a private choice to violence ever justified? Certainly slavery was a great evil. Was Brown justified? Would or could slavery have been eradicated in the United States as it was elsewhere in the European Empires without war?
If you answer that slavery was so evil that Brown was justified how do you say that someone who is trying to prevent millions of abortions is wrong? Or someone who wants to retain affirmative action? Or whatever else drives their personal conscience to extreme action? If you say that Brown was not justified, how do you avoid the guilt of slavery? Weren't the millions of souls in bondage worth fighting for? Should they have been left as chattel property for another decade or two or another century until things could work themselves out?
I guess my own view is a cheat on the question. I do not condone private violence and believe that those who blow up abortion clinics or violently attack Federal installations actually help their opponents more than their cause. Brown was so fervent and articulate that his passion moved a great many people. If he had stepped forward more as a Frederick Douglass and engaged in demonstrations he would have probably accomplished more. But you can justly come to different conclusions than mine.
Brown was a man of great integrity to the point of rigidity. As a businessman his personal sense of what was right led him to drive customers away. He wouldn't sell leather until it was cured to his level of satisfaction even if the customer wanted it as it was. When he was selling wool, his own classifications mattered more to him than what his customers wanted to buy and what those he was an agent for wanted to sell. When he and his family were caught up in the Kansas War, he was clearly justified in protecting those who opposed letting the Missourian slave advocates run roughshod over the territorial government. The Missourians committed many atrocities and Brown was the man who taught the victims that they could stand up to their oppressors. Still, attacking and murdering people in the homes and hacking them to death with a sword still shocks us.
Brown was not an unfeeling man dispensing justice as if he were God. He was a man of deep passion who also knew pain and personal loss. Many of his children died in infancy or youth. He knew poverty and want. There is a tremendously moving scene when Brown is found flat on his Dianthe's, his first wife, grave crying in agony. And his last visit with his second wife especially when she has to leave him is also quite moving. Brown did what he did because he knew (that personal conviction problem again) that he was on God's work and was doing what God wanted him to do. And this despite the deep personal loss the mission brought him.
I recommend this book because I like the way Carton focuses on the life and leaves most of the commentary to you and because Brown's life raises issues that resonate in our time. The author does get in to the larger national issues in chapter 10 and in the aftermath of the execution in chapter thirteen. In the epilogue he shares a few of his own views that you might or might not accept. I also recommend it because one can never know too much about the Civil War and its origins. It was a cataclysm whose shockwaves still resonate underneath almost everything in our present national life.
There are some very good pictures in the book, but the one flaw I hope they correct in a subsequent edition is to provide a listing of the illustrations and their page numbers. Now you see them mixed in the text as you read, but if you want to find them later it becomes somewhat of a hunting game.
Not a madman.......2006-12-09
This is an excellent, thoroughly researched and referenced book by Evan Carton which is also a very gripping read. Even though the outcome is known, the book is hard to put down. But while the style is nearly novelistic, it is solidly factual. I read this book because I wanted to understand if the usual myths about Brown were correct - if he was indeed a madman. Carton shows him to be a deeply religious and principled man, and one whose reasoning was consistent with his values and with his understanding of the enormous injustice of slavery in nineteenth century America. Brown was an extremely effective fighter against the murderous "border ruffians" from Missouri who attempted to terrrorize free state settlers in Kansas. These Missourian slaveholders and their agents drove free-soil settlers away, burning and looting their settlements such as Lawrence, Kansas, fixing elections, and occasionally killing free-soil setlers, and bragging to "shoot, burn, and hang" abolitionsts, not believing the abolitionists or the free soil settlers(who often weren't abolitionists) would dare to fight back. Initially, they didn't. Brown did, with a very small force, and the reader may find his actions quite shocking. On some occasions his small force routed or captured gangs of the border ruffians who outnumbered them substantially. Brown's desire to accelerate the end of slavery, which he clearly saw as a odious blotch on the ideals which founded his country, led him eventually to more decisive action. Carton provides a clarification for his thought processes through his letters, meetings with sponsors and other associates, and the recollections of survivors after the raid on Harpers Ferry, and convinces that Brown's reasoning was sound, although it certainly was radical. Both before and after the raid, Carton shows us the Brown was confident of the positive effects of the raid even if it were a military failure. Ultimately, it was the notion of the slaveholders that they could indefinitely extend their profitable institution that proved to be madness.
Splendid Book.......2006-09-27
This is the first book that I've read about John Brown and I'm glad that I waited. Brown's story is a simply amazing one and Carton is the master of every detail. He writes very well, is excellent at telling a story, and, most significantly for me, he is well-versed in the historical period. He has deep knowledge about pre-Civil-War politics, intellectual life and social relations. And he integrates what he knows brilliantly into John Brown's story. Brown emerges as more than the leader of the raid at Harper's Ferry; in this book we come to understand his Christianity, his early life, his family, his values and most particularly his relations with black people, which were perhaps without precedent in America. The book is very moving, though quietly so: Carton doesn't shy away from being critical of John Brown, but eventually his esteem for Brown comes through and it's tough not to be sympathetic. The book was a great pleasure and I felt that I learned a lot from it about race relations past--and present, too.
Book Description
With a historian's grasp of events and a novelist's ear for story, Fergus M. Bordewich has written a grand epic of American history -- focusing on the sixty years leading up to the Civil War, which brought to a climax the country's bitter division. But its beginnings can be traced to a clandestine alliance of both black and white abolitionists and slaves, who joined forces to lead tens of thousands of enslaved Americans to freedom in a movement that occupies a legendary place in the nation's imagination, but about which little has been known until now.
Customer Reviews:
Audio version: Fast-paced and fascinating history.......2007-09-11
I listened to the abridged audio version on CD and thoroughly enjoyed it. Read by the author, it is in interesting study that contains a number of riveting stories.
I have two minor complaints about this audio version. One is that the author's voice sometimes drops into a range that can be inaudible if you are listening in a vehicle with traffic noise around you. The other is that maps are not included in the CD set. Fortunately my public library had a copy of the book so that I was able to examine the maps and various illustrations. The maps were of interest to me since a couple of my great-great-grandfathers supposedly sheltered escaped slaves, one near the Ohio River and another in Philadelphia.
Overall, this is an enjoyable and inspiring book that raises questions about civil disobedience that we must ponder in order to understand the complexity of our history. I wholeheartedly recommend the audio version to those who like audiobooks. It is as exciting as an adventure novel, and you can supplement it with a hardcopy if you want.
More than Harriet Tubman.......2007-01-14
Harriet Tubman was a great lady, and she did not simply help the slaves to freedom -- she helped move America to a better place. Growing up, whenever I heard or read of the Underground Railroad, Ms. Tubman's name came up again and again. This book expands the vision of the Undergound Railroad and shows it as a part of something much bigger in our history.
First, the book does discuss the railroad and how it works. The reader gets an idea of the perils involved and the logistics behind helping a slave to freedom. This was no easy task, and this books shows the reader not just how brave the conductors were, but how brave the "passengers" were.
Second, the book discusses the fortitude and determination of the different people who tried to make America better by fighting the injustices of slavery. We learn of the battles of the press as well as the battle of the gun. This was a dark time in our history, and the author does a good job in illuminating us to the various people that tried to illuminate their time.
Lastly, the book explains what else happened. In school, we learned that the Underground Railroad helped slaves to freedom. That was about it. There is more to the story, and the author explains this to us. We also see that just getting to the North didn't make things better. There were still things that needed to happen to help the slaves create their new life.
In all, I would highly recommend reading this book. It brings a much more enlightened perspective to this part of American history.
A Great Book, Could Have Used a Little Editing.......2006-10-05
I really enjoyed this book, which fleshes out for the first time, based on significant new research, the numerous heroes and participants who risked their lives for freedom from slavery. A few insights in the book were new to me:
1. I had no idea how crippling and discriminatory the laws were against blacks who lived in "free states." Most of the time they could not vote, own property, needed affidavits in order to move or get a job, were subject to kidnapping by freelance slave catchers -- it was pretty horrible.
2. I did not realize the critical role that radical, truth-to-power religion, in particular but not exclusively the Quakers, played in ending the evil practice of slavery. These folks risked financial ruin, stonings, beatings, and criminal charges to put in practice their moral view -- based on their faith -- that slavery in all forms must end. They deserve our thanks and praise, and we should remember them as we are faced with current moral conflicts that call out for action based on our beliefs.
3. I found especially interesting the debates in Congress in the 1850s in support of the federal Fugitive Slave Act, and the justifications used by supporters of slavery to denigrate the abolitionists. Indeed, Mr. Bordewich makes the point that even in "free" states, a measure of your worth as a politician was how "tough" you were on abolitionists, in the same sense that today politicians are expected to be "tough" on communism.
But what was interesting to me was that slave supporters like Daniel Webster justified the practice based on the Bible (cherry picking quotes that supposedly support the practice); science (blacks were intellectually inferior and like animals who require our feeding and care); inalienable property rights (the slaves were chattel and were necessary in order for owners to make productive use of their land); and also anti-Europe prejudice (the abolitionists are getting all of their crazy ideas from Europe). These concepts are still being used today to justify social policies that may in the distant future seem equally morally bankrupt.
I did think, however, the book could have used a little editing. I found it a bit difficult to keep up with so many historical figures, and perhaps some of their activities could have been trimmed in the interests of narrative flow.
But in all, a highly readable book and a substantial step forward in terms of historical scholarship.
Excellent.......2006-10-01
An excellent historical and scholarly read that provides a detailed history of the Underground Railroad. The book goes into great depths to document the people that successfully and unsuccessfully escaped slavery as well as those that helped them and those that didn't. As with any story dealing with historical events there are some parts that are difficult to read through because of their tragedy (how could the barbaric system of American slavery existed such a short time ago?). However those areas are offset by stories of hope and celebration of those that were successful. It was interesting to discover what lead to successful passage - some times skill, some times just luck.
A longer read that other books on this subject it was very thorough. Because it's based on real people and real events it's not dry like some historic works. The only suggestion was that this book could have benefited from more pictures, maps, diagrams, etc. Overall extremely good.
More Than Just History.......2006-05-15
Like many other reviewers I found this book provacative and profoundly insightful. Mr. Bordewich is to be congratulated for a work well done. Yesterday I recommended a lawyer purchase this book for her city planner friend, a black woman living in Pennsylvania who wanted to research her family. It makes one realize how far we have come in the last two hundred years, and how far we have yet to go. This book offers timely perspective on what Bordewich termed the first civil rights movement in the United States: the underground railroad. It details paths and patterns and disunity that I've not seen in one volume. It is sometimes a rough read at night--face to face with the inhumanity of man makes for difficult dreams and restless sleep. The equally generous and independent spirits who worked on the railroad at enormous personal cost and often fatal consequences is well documented.
California, like much of the nation, is currently having upheavals and dissent about immigration policy. The parallels in this book about immigration are timely: Canada welcomed the displaced and runaway slaves and free blacks with open arms and earned their undying loyalty. We could learn from this example with our current immigration discussion and policy proposals, instead of viewing people simply as plantation labor.
It's been a month since I finished reading this book, and I find myself returning to it in my thoughts. There was much work done by the founding fathers and mothers, and much left undone for future generations. Discussion and resolution of slavery has consumed significant portions of this nation's energy. It would be easy to call that growing pains. This book is a shining beacon on the hill to anyone seeking greater understanding of that time and policies that have shaped the present.
Books:
- War and Society in Europe of the Old Regime 1618-1789 (War and European Society)
- War Is a Racket: The Anti-War Classic by America's Most Decorated General, Two Other Anti=Interventionist Tracts, and Photographs from the Horror of It
- Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fourth Edition (Book with CD-ROM)
- White Night (The Dresden Files, Book 9)
- Who Killed Jesus?: Exposing the Roots of Anti-Semitism in the Gospel Story of the Death of Jesus
- Worlds Together, Worlds Apart: A History of the Modern World (1300 to the Present)
- 1984 (Signet Classics)
- 1989, la fin d'un empire: L'URSS et la liberation de l'Europe de l'Est
- 2001: On the Edge of Eternity
- A Brief Survey of Austrian History
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Gold Buckle: The Grand Obsession of Rodeo Bull Riders
- To Kill a Mockingbird
- The Games Companies Play: An Insider's Guide to Surviving and Winning in Office Politics
- The Cigarette Century: The Rise, Fall, and Deadly Persistence of the Product That Defined America
- The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
- Water for Elephants: A Novel
- The Thrips, or Thysanoptera of Illinois
- Women with Attention Deficit Disorder: Embracing Disorganization at Home and in the Workplace
- Study Guide Chapters 1-18 for use with Fundamental Accounting Principles
- Texas Business Directory 2000-2001: North/West
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
Memoirs (Penguin Classics)
Lincoln: Speeches and Writings: Volume 2: 1859-1865 (Library of America)
Abraham Lincoln : Speeches and Writings 1832-1858 (Library of America)
Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant (The American Civil War)
The Recollections and Letters of General Robert E. Lee (Civil War Library)
