- Hardcover: 256 pages
- Publisher: Edinborough Press (April 1 2009)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1889020265
- ISBN-13: 978-1889020266
- Product Dimensions: 23.1 x 16 x 2.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 522 g
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Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
Outlining the career of a politician whose two campaigns for the White House helped change the course of American politics, this in-depth study explores the religious convictions of James B. Weaver and the role they played in his political contributions. Offering a panoramic view of some of the great events of the 19th century—the California Gold Rush, the Civil War, and presidential politics, from Abraham Lincoln to the rise of William Jennings Bryan—this insightful and detailed account also sheds new light on the influence of third parties in presidential elections and the federal government’s role in reducing economic hardship.
About the Author
Robert B. Mitchell is an assistant editor with the Los Angeles Times–Washington Post News Service. He lives in Woodbridge, Virginia.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
5.0 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brings to Life a Forgotten Reformer of the Gilded Age, May 5 2009
By David Blatt - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Skirmisher: The Life, Times, and Political Career of James B. Weaver (Hardcover)
An unexpectedly fascinating account of James B. Weaver, a proud son of Iowa who managed to play a critical but largely overlooked role in many political reform movements of the late 19th century. The real delight of this book is not so much in discovering Weaver himself, who, truth be told, seems to have been rather a self-righteous (albeit utterly sincere) prig, but in the vast tawdry panorama of Gilded Age politics. Mitchell clearly loves the period, and his concise and engaging prose displays his mastery of all its sordid details. As we follow Weaver's political evolution from Democrat to Republican to Greenbacker to Populist (and partly back to the Democrats), we encounter themes that still resonate today, such as the malleable ideologies of the major parties, the pervasiveness of corruption, the shifting politics of race relations, and the excesses of financial capitalism. While only a few kooks still care about temperance or free silver, others of Weaver's highly-principled crusades seem sadly familiar, and the reformers' touching faith in the power of the federal government to promote the welfare of the common man is striking. Readers of the investing class may delight in General Weaver's many failures and scorn the simplicity of his beliefs, but there is a new reformer on the scene who got his start in Iowa . . .
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Iowa Statesman, May 4 2009
By Janice - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Skirmisher: The Life, Times, and Political Career of James B. Weaver (Hardcover)
This is a highly readable, enjoyable, biography about James Baird Weaver, 1833-1912, a statesman from Iowa who always spoke his mind and had some before-his-time ideas about government. He was a member of Congress in the times when debate would get wild and wooly and he went to the point of fisticuffs when another member began hurling personal insult. An editorial by the Des Moines Register about the incident stated that if there was another such incident, General Weaver need not return to Iowa....unless he soundly thrashes the other Congressman! Mitchell's book is the first researched biography written about Weaver since 1919 and he presents scholarly research in a highly readable way. The gold vs silver controversy makes sense to me after reading this book.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A forgotten hero speaks anew to our times, April 29 2009
By A. Schultz - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Skirmisher: The Life, Times, and Political Career of James B. Weaver (Hardcover)
SKIRMISHER is clearly a labor of love and a display of effortless skill by Robert B. Mitchell. Mitchell is fascinated with the underdog fighting ahead of his time on issues that will come, ultimately, to define the 20th Century and beyond in American politics. He is also keen on reviving our knowledge and the reputation of a great "almost was," James B. Weaver, civil war hero, congressman and third-party presidential candidate in an era of notorious corruption (Grant's presidency; the stealing of the election of 1876). A primogenitor and mentor to William Jennings Bryan, it was Weaver who devoted his career to fighting the gold standard and the cabal of robber baron bankers and their political lackeys who enabled them to starve development among farmers, merchants and the working classes with their dominion over credit. The misbehavior of banks echoes loudly and ironically today; the lesson is clear--greed and corruption will find a way. Mitchell's pure skill as a writer brings the elements of biography and history to vivid life. He shares the fruits of his nonpariel research in lucid, colorful sentences that betray his delight in the now-quaint sensibilities of the Progressive Era, where Temperance was a major issue and the viciousness of personal attacks in the political arena make today's campaigns seem tame. We owe a debt to Mitchell for rekindling our awareness of this seminal figure in such an engaging and pertinent book.
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