Tag Archives: election

Civil War Podcast, Episode 22

In which we discuss the reasons behind the collapse of the Democratic Party, the resulting four-way contest for the presidency, and Abraham Lincoln’s victory on Election Day, November 6, 1860.

Our book recommendation for this episode is Year of Meteors: Stephen Douglas, Abraham Lincoln, and the Election that Brought On the Civil War by Douglas R. Egerton.

“Well-informed, judicious, and lively political history. Douglas Egerton has a sharp eye for telling biographical details, and he deploys them to great analytical and narrative effect.” ~ Bruce Levine, author of Half Slave and Half Free

Listen to Episode 22: Election1860

Civil War Podcast, Episode 14

In which we discuss the three-way presidential contest of 1856 & its importance in the stunning rise of the Republican Party. Plus, we see Abraham Lincoln start to position himself to be a leading national figure in the party.

Our book recommendation for this episode is James Buchanan by Jean H Baker.

Almost no president was as well trained and well prepared for the office as James Buchanan. he had served in the Pennsylvania state legislature, the U.S. House, and the U.S. Senate; he was Secretary of State and was even offered a seat on the Supreme Court. And yet, by every measure except his own, James Buchanan was a miserable failure as president. Historian Jean H. Baker explains that we have rightly placed Buchanan at the bottom of the presidential rankings, but that is no excuse to forget him. To study Buchanan is to consider the implications of weak leadership in a time of national crisis. Elegantly written, Baker’s book offers a balanced look at a crucial moment in our nation’s history and explores a man who, when given the opportunity, failed to rise to the challenge.

** This episode of the podcast contains explicit language. **

Listen to Episode 14: Election1856

Civil War Podcast, Episode 8

In which we look at the Presidential Election of 1848 (Zachary Taylor wins!), the crisis over California’s admission to the Union as a free state (which nearly led to disunion & civil war), and how Henry Clay stepped into the breach and laid the groundwork that allowed Stephen A. Douglas to save the day with the Compromise of 1850.

Our book recommendation for this episode is At the Edge of the Precipice: Henry Clay and the Compromise that Saved the Union by Robert V. Remini. “In 1850, America hovered on the brink of disunion. Tensions between slaveholders and abolitionists mounted, as the debate over slavery grew rancorous. The addition of vast new territory in the wake of the Mexican war prompted Northern politicians to demand that new states remain free; in response, Southerners baldly threatened to secede from the Union. Only Henry Clay, America’s Great Compromiser, could keep the union together.”

Listen to Episode 8: Compromise1848