The Coming of Democracy (Paperback)

Mark R. Cheathem

ISBN 10: 142142598X / ISBN 13: 9781421425986

Published by Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD, 2018

About this Item

Paperback. A look at the evolution of presidential campaigning from 1824 to 1840. If you think politics are uncivil now . . .Winner of the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society Best Subsequent Book Award by the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor SocietyAfter the corrupt bargain that awarded John Quincy Adams the presidency in 1825, American politics underwent a fundamental shift from deference to participation. This changing tide eventually propelled Andrew Jackson into the White Housetwice. But the presidential race that best demonstrated the extent of the changes was that of Martin Van Buren and war hero William Henry Harrison in 1840. Harrisons campaign was famously marked by sloganeering and spirited rallies. In The Coming of Democracy, Mark R. Cheathem examines the evolution of presidential campaigning from 1824 to 1840. Addressing the roots of early republic cultural politicsfrom campaign biographies to songs, political cartoons, and public correspondence between candidates and votersCheathem asks the reader to consider why such informal political expressions increased so dramatically during the Jacksonian period. What sounded and looked like mere entertainment, he argues, held important political meaning. The extraordinary voter participation rateover 80 percentin the 1840 presidential election indicated that both substantive issues and cultural politics drew Americans into the presidential selection process.Drawing on period newspapers, diaries, memoirs, and public and private correspondence, The Coming of Democracy is the first book-length treatment to reveal how presidents and presidential candidates used both old and new forms of cultural politics to woo voters and win elections in the Jacksonian era. This book will appeal to anyone interested in US politics, the Jacksonian/antebellum era, or the presidency. This book will appeal to anyone interested in US politics, the Jacksonian/antebellum era, or the presidency. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781421425986

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Coming of Democracy (Paperback)
• Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD
• Publication Date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 142142598X
• ISBN 13: 9781421425986
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

A look at the evolution of presidential campaigning from 1824 to 1840. If you think politics are uncivil now . . .

Winner of the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society Best Subsequent Book Award by the Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society

After the “corrupt bargain” that awarded John Quincy Adams the presidency in 1825, American politics underwent a fundamental shift from deference to participation. This changing tide eventually propelled Andrew Jackson into the White House―twice. But the presidential race that best demonstrated the extent of the changes was that of Martin Van Buren and war hero William Henry Harrison in 1840. Harrison’s campaign was famously marked by sloganeering and spirited rallies.

In The Coming of Democracy, Mark R. Cheathem examines the evolution of presidential campaigning from 1824 to 1840. Addressing the roots of early republic cultural politics―from campaign biographies to songs, political cartoons, and public correspondence between candidates and voters―Cheathem asks the reader to consider why such informal political expressions increased so dramatically during the Jacksonian period. What sounded and looked like mere entertainment, he argues, held important political meaning. The extraordinary voter participation rate―over 80 percent―in the 1840 presidential election indicated that both substantive issues and cultural politics drew Americans into the presidential selection process.

Drawing on period newspapers, diaries, memoirs, and public and private correspondence, The Coming of Democracy is the first book-length treatment to reveal how presidents and presidential candidates used both old and new forms of cultural politics to woo voters and win elections in the Jacksonian era. This book will appeal to anyone interested in US politics, the Jacksonian/antebellum era, or the presidency.

About the Author

Mark R. Cheathem is a professor of history at Cumberland University, where he is the project director of the Papers of Martin Van Buren. He is the author of Andrew Jackson, Southerner and Andrew Jackson and the Rise of the Democrats.