Book Review: Party Over Section - The Rough and Ready Presidential Election of 1848
The University of Kansas Press has a wonderful series of books (for political junkies and potus_geeks) about American Presidential Elections. I just finished reading Party Over Section: The Rough and Ready Presidential Election of 1848 by Joel H. Silbey and enjoyed it very much. There is much to be learned from Professor Silbey's recounting of the US Presidential election of 1848 and the author covers all of the bases. He discusses the political climate going into the election, the issues of the day, the divisions within the two major political parties (leading to formation of the third party, the Free Soil Party), the battles within each party for the presidential nomination, and the campaign for the presidency.
Elections were much different in the antebellum period, long before the electronic media and the 24 hour news cycle, and this is what I especially enjoyed about this book - the author's description of what living in the times was like: what it was like to attend a convention, to campaign, to get out the vote and to actually cast one's ballot in 1848. The era had its still spin doctors and campaign managers, but at a time when candidates did not make speeches, and when their message was spread through letters published in partisan newspapers, the author gives the reader a wonderful flavor of the 1848 presidential election experience.
In 1848, the United States had undergone great expansion following the Mexican War and the treaty with Britain settling the boundaries of the Oregon Territory. While many may regard James K. Polk as a great president today, contemporary opinions of his presidency were mixed, not unlike with 20th and 21st century presidents. His lowering of tariffs had helped and hurt various parts of the nation, as had his vetoing spending on national improvements. But the main issue was slavery. Would the newly acquired territories become free states or slave states, that was the question on everyone's minds. This issue divided parties geographically and led to the formation of a significant third party. National campaigns of the two parties had to walk a tightrope on this issue, trying to maintain support in all areas of the country, while avoiding defections to the Free Soil movement.
The Democrats settled on the selection of Lewis Cass from Michigan as their candidate. Cass was considered by many to be a "doughface" (a northerner with southern sympathies). At the convention a number of Democrats opposed to the expansion of slavery left the convention and the party. They would meet subsequently in Buffalo and form the Free Soil Party, led by former President Martin Van Buren.
The Whig Party had its share of controversy as well. The party selected Mexican War hero General Zachary Taylor as its candidate, leaving many supporters of the iconic Kentucky Senator Henry Clay outraged. Whigs opposed to the expansion of slavery were also unhappy with the selection of a southerner and a slaveholder as their candidate. Some left and joined the Free Soil Party, while others like Abraham Lincoln and William H. Seward, remained and campaigned for Taylor.
Professor Silbey's analysis of this historically overlooked campaign and his post mortem of the election results are fascinating. He gives the reader an understanding of what significance to place on voting patterns in the various states and regions, the importance of issues nationally and regionally and how each party spun their own candidate as well as their opponents. For the most part, slavery was the major issues of the campaign, though in some areas like Pennsylvania where Polk's tariff policy had hurt the economy, voters punished the Democrats, regardless of their position on slavery. The author analyzes the results, with particular attention to those voters who stayed home. At a time when close to 80% of eligible voters turned up at the polls, a drop of over 7% had a significant effect on the result.
Silbey ably makes the case for why the election of 1848 was a pivotal one for the future of the nation, and how conditions at the time were the kindling for what would later become the national crisis of the Civil War. In 156 pages, Professor Silbey gives the reader a tremendous understanding of the issues and the times. His analysis is brilliant and his detail is fascinating. This book will delight anyone with an interest in antebellum United States. It is also enlightening for anyone curious about what it was like to politic over 160 years ago.
Elections were much different in the antebellum period, long before the electronic media and the 24 hour news cycle, and this is what I especially enjoyed about this book - the author's description of what living in the times was like: what it was like to attend a convention, to campaign, to get out the vote and to actually cast one's ballot in 1848. The era had its still spin doctors and campaign managers, but at a time when candidates did not make speeches, and when their message was spread through letters published in partisan newspapers, the author gives the reader a wonderful flavor of the 1848 presidential election experience.
In 1848, the United States had undergone great expansion following the Mexican War and the treaty with Britain settling the boundaries of the Oregon Territory. While many may regard James K. Polk as a great president today, contemporary opinions of his presidency were mixed, not unlike with 20th and 21st century presidents. His lowering of tariffs had helped and hurt various parts of the nation, as had his vetoing spending on national improvements. But the main issue was slavery. Would the newly acquired territories become free states or slave states, that was the question on everyone's minds. This issue divided parties geographically and led to the formation of a significant third party. National campaigns of the two parties had to walk a tightrope on this issue, trying to maintain support in all areas of the country, while avoiding defections to the Free Soil movement.
The Democrats settled on the selection of Lewis Cass from Michigan as their candidate. Cass was considered by many to be a "doughface" (a northerner with southern sympathies). At the convention a number of Democrats opposed to the expansion of slavery left the convention and the party. They would meet subsequently in Buffalo and form the Free Soil Party, led by former President Martin Van Buren.
The Whig Party had its share of controversy as well. The party selected Mexican War hero General Zachary Taylor as its candidate, leaving many supporters of the iconic Kentucky Senator Henry Clay outraged. Whigs opposed to the expansion of slavery were also unhappy with the selection of a southerner and a slaveholder as their candidate. Some left and joined the Free Soil Party, while others like Abraham Lincoln and William H. Seward, remained and campaigned for Taylor.
Professor Silbey's analysis of this historically overlooked campaign and his post mortem of the election results are fascinating. He gives the reader an understanding of what significance to place on voting patterns in the various states and regions, the importance of issues nationally and regionally and how each party spun their own candidate as well as their opponents. For the most part, slavery was the major issues of the campaign, though in some areas like Pennsylvania where Polk's tariff policy had hurt the economy, voters punished the Democrats, regardless of their position on slavery. The author analyzes the results, with particular attention to those voters who stayed home. At a time when close to 80% of eligible voters turned up at the polls, a drop of over 7% had a significant effect on the result.
Silbey ably makes the case for why the election of 1848 was a pivotal one for the future of the nation, and how conditions at the time were the kindling for what would later become the national crisis of the Civil War. In 156 pages, Professor Silbey gives the reader a tremendous understanding of the issues and the times. His analysis is brilliant and his detail is fascinating. This book will delight anyone with an interest in antebellum United States. It is also enlightening for anyone curious about what it was like to politic over 160 years ago.