Mistress of Manifest Destiny: A Biography of Jane McManus Storm Cazneau, 1807-1878 (Hardcover)

by Linda S. Hudson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
A biography of a highly unconventional woman. Jane McManus Storm Cazneau was often at the centre of a controversy, whether it was as Aaron Burr's mistress, behind enemy lines in the Mexican War, filibustering for Cuba or Nicaragua, or urging free blacks to emigrate to the Dominican Republic.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 306 pages
• Publisher: Texas State Historical Association (January 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0876111797
• ISBN-13: 978-0876111796
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #503,668 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Woman's Place in the 1850's, March 22, 2001

By	Blanche H Brick "[e-mail]" (College Station, Texas USA) - See all my reviews

Linda Hudson has done a wonderful job of following the travels and trials of Jane McManus Storm Cazneau from her youth in New York to her involvement in Texas land deals in the 1830's and her mission to Mexico City in the midst of the Mexican War in the 1840's to her life in Eagle Pass, Texas, (which she somehow did not at first realize was literally the middle of no where) to her exploits in Cuba and her return to New York City to play a role in the presidential campaign of 1852.

She has shown the complexity of the politics of the times especially as they relate to the question of slavery and its expansion into Texas. She has also related the very complicated life of a woman who was liberated long before being a liberated woman was considered cool. In doing so, she has created a far more complex view of society in the United States in the middle of the 19th century than many historians have uncovered...or been willing to admit to having uncovered.

It is a wonderful trip into the history not only of the United States but also of Mexico and the Caribbean that she has taken with Jane Cazneau and that she allows the reader to share.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I would loved to have been Jane, November 29, 2001

By	Sherry Hensley (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews

History is a passion of mine and this book is so very good. I can not imagine how long it took to do all this research. It gave me a different understanding of our government history. Just to think if our politions had had the foresight that Jane McManus and Aaron Burr had, Cuba, Doninican Republic, and Mexico just to name a few, could have been States today. I would love to have been Jane because she was so smart and brave. I found her one of the most fascinating persons in history. I loved this book.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Related to Jane & William Cazneau., October 15, 2002

By	Patrick L. Cazneau "Patrick Cazneau" (Maine, United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am related to General William L.Cazneau 1807-1876 and his wife Jane McManus Cazneau 1807-1878, the subject of this book. I met the author in November 1999 in Texas. A great amount of research has gone in to this book and it took years to collect it all. I am a direct descendent of General Thomas Nugent Cazneau 1812-1873 of California, brother of William. I am sending copies to libraries and friends. God Bless You !!