The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party

The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party: Jacksonian Politics and the Onset of the Civil War | Michael F. Holt

Very eager Levar-Burton-looking guy in the coffee shop is quizzing me on my book like we're rehearsing for the world's most boring episode of Reading Rainbow. "How do you structure your reading time for a book that long?" "Are there any Whigs I would have heard of?" "What modern politician is most like a Whig?"

Um... In chunks, Millard Fillmore, and Mike Bloomberg?

Yossarian And then, after a few minutes, I start to wonder if I'm getting hit on ... 7y

LibrarianJen 😂😂😂 I read one of Holt's books in undergrad. Unfortunately/fortunately no one wanted to chat over coffee with me about it! 7y

Aims42 😂😂😂 7y

bigg9058 Wow...i thought i was the only person who read that book! 7y

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Yossarian

The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party: Jacksonian Politics and the Onset of the Civil War | Michael F. Holt

It's Saturday Night! The perfect time to learn how Southern Price Deflation in 1848 impacted Zachary Taylor's chances against Lewis Cass in that years' Presidential election!

Jensol77 That sounds horribly boring 😩😫 8y

Yossarian I'm guessing that @Jensol77 is not a registered member of the American Whig Party. 8y

Nat_Reads 😴😴😴 8y

Zelma I didn't realize how hard you partied on the weekends! 😳😂😝 8y

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Yossarian

The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party: Jacksonian Politics and the Onset of the Civil War | Michael F. Holt

My slowest #slowread at present. I'm on page 312 -- not even halfway through! I'm concerned that Zach Taylor isn't the right choice for the Whigs in 1848, but I guess it'll depend who the Democrats choose, now that Polk is sticking to his one-term pledge.

Overall, I'm getting concerned that Henry Clay is never going to win the Presidency.

pocketmermaid I just saw a Henry Clay campaign t-shirt on RebBubble and I was really tempted to buy it to wear on President's Day. 8y

Hooked_on_books Clay didn't win 8y

jpmcwisemorgan @Hooked_on_books Your spoiler made me laugh. It was the perfect response to what @Yossarian has to say about the book. 8y

Hooked_on_books @jpmcwisemorgan Thank you! 😬 Mission accomplished. 8y

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Yossarian

The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party: Jacksonian Politics and the Onset of the Civil War | Michael F. Holt

I like history books that quote primary sources, but not to the extent that they read like Zagats.

LeahBergen 👏🏻👏🏻 8y

TRANSOM Try the "fish." 8y

Procrastireader Good grief 8y

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Yossarian

The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party: Jacksonian Politics and the Onset of the Civil War | Michael F. Holt

In 1844, James K. Polk won the Presidency on an openly pro-Slavery platform and ruthlessly invaded Mexico. He beat Whig Henry Clay (pictured), who attempted to maintain the balance between North and South. Polk won because Clay lost New York by 5000 votes. Clay lost New York because 15,000 votes went to the abolitionist Liberty Party. We're these Liberty Party voters (a) the only moral ones, or (b) immoral animals for permitting a Polk victory?

Laalaleighh Third party dilemma for the win. 8y

Laalaleighh Quite relevant today. 8y

Mamashep Well then. Some things never change. 8y

Carol It's like They Might Be Giants said. James K. Polk, Napoleon of the stump. 8y

Posemn Well, this sounds a little too familiar right now. 8y

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Yossarian

The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party: Jacksonian Politics and the Onset of the Civil War | Michael F. Holt

"May God save the country, for it is evident the people will not."

-- Millard Fillmore, after Henry Clay lost to Polk in 1844, but applicable to at least half of the other Presidential elections, too.

Megabooks My dog is named after Henry Clay. That's his full name. My dog orates a lot. 😉 8y

Megabooks Plus I'm from Kentucky. 8y

Yossarian @Ebooksandcooks If he orates, shouldn't you have named him Daniel Webster? You should save Henry Clay for your pet that compromises the most. 8y

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Megabooks Daniel Webster isn't from Kentucky. Henry is really dominant (or tries to be) and I don't think Henry Clay really did a lot of backing down. 8y

BookNerdBritt I dig the phrase "furious Virginian." 8y

KateWalsh Millard was my favorite president, 'cause one time I went to the log cabin he was born in (in central NY). Then I realized he somehow wasn't the most revered president in US history (shocking) and learned about a certain fella called Abe. Now I love presidential biographies, but haven't read one about Millie Fillie yet :-/ 8y

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Yossarian

The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party: Jacksonian Politics and the Onset of the Civil War | Michael F. Holt

I'm only on page 146 of 985, but I think this book has too many words in it.

OSChamberlain Hahahhaaaa. Looks like a textbook! 8y

Shvonne @OSChamberlain The test will be at the end of the semester 8y

GardenJess Looks a little dense from here! 8y

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OSChamberlain @Shvonne the test will consist of one question: Who is the leader of the American Whig Party? Answer: Donald Trump. Get it? Whig?? *crickets* 8y

Procrastireader @OSChamberlain actually, I've been thinking that Trump will do to the GOP what happened to the Whigs...so, Yeah! 8y

Procrastireader So weird. About a week ago I was wondering if there were any parallels between what's going on now and the end of the Whigs. And now, here you are! So looking forward to your book report 😚😄😄😚 8y

LeslieO That's a lot of words. 8y

Mamashep 😂 8y

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Yossarian

The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party: Jacksonian Politics and the Onset of the Civil War | Michael F. Holt

Fun Friday post. One day I want to write a science fiction story where Henry Clay leads a band of time traveling members of the American Whig Party as they solve crimes perpetrated by Jackson, Polk, and their gang of Time Traveling Democrats. JQAdams would be Q like in the Bond films. @Liberty

Arcana I would read that! 9y

jeff Second that. You have to write it! 9y

Yossarian Abe Lincoln, who only served one term in Congress as a Whig before the creation of the Republican Party, would be a junior clerk. 9y

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Chelsey Yes please!!! 9y

Yossarian They would also be opposed by Time Traveling Frederick Douglass, who was invited to be a delegate at the Whig Party Convention, but refused because the Whig's "Free Soil" anti-slavery position did not go far enough toward complete abolition. 9y

LibrarianJen I would totally read something like that! 9y

catatonic1242 You must write that so that I can read it. 9y

jpmcwisemorgan Consider me intrigued! 9y

Claireluana Definitely write that! 😱 9y

BookishFeminist I would read the shit out of that 9y

becausetrains Sign me up. I imagine your concept like The Regional Office is Under Attack! 🇺🇸🎩 9y

Keegz63 If you don't write it I will! Fantastic! 9y

Darthdad I would totally read that book! 9y

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