Why is a city in Texas--along with towns and countries in nine other states--named for a Philadelphia politician? Besides answering that question this book gives a vivid picture of American politics, diplomacy, and society in the colorful period from the War of 1812 until the Civil War, through the eyes of a shrewd observer: George M. Dallas. When the Democratic Party gave Dallas the Vice Presidential nomination on the ticket with James K. Polk in 1844, it recognized not only the Philadelphian's political durability but also his 'correct' positions on the issues of Texas and Oregon, territorial expansion in general, and a middle-of-the-road tariff. As Vice President, Dallas championed Manifest Destiny and the Mexican War. Though unsuccessful in his bid for the Presidential nomination in 1848 and 1852, Dallas remained active in the Party as a states rights Unionist, equally opposed to abolitionism and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. His electoral setbacks were partly offset by diplomatic opportunities. He was U.S. Minister to Russia in 1837-39, and was sent to the Court of St. James's by Pierce in 1856--staying through the Buchanan administration and Lincoln's first two months. He was a mollifying factor with regard to U.S.-British differences, but when the Civil War came, the best he could do was to discourage British recognition of the Confederacy.
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About the Author
John M. Belohlavek, a graduate of Thiel College, with a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska, teaches history at the University of South Florida.
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