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Presidential Campaigns: From George Washington to George W. Bush

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You wouldn't have recognized the election of 1789. There were no primaries, nominating convention, rival candidates, campaign speeches, or debates on public issues." (All quotes are direct from the book.) Yet the will of the people was perfectly expressed. Everyone simply agreed that Washington had to be the President. Four years later they had political parties, but both of them picked Washington. That was the end of the smooth sailing.

In 1796 Adams and Jefferson remained on friendly terms with each other, but had their supporters do a lot of name calling (sound familiar?). By 1800 Adams was calling Jefferson ... well, read the book. Suffice to say, the American way of politics was in full swing, has continued unabated until now and shows no sign of making significant changes in the future.

I must say that I do miss the rum. When Washington was running for the Virginia House of Burgesses in 1758, there were 391 elgible voters. Washington gave them 160 gallons of rum. It's kind of a wonder just how they could vote.

This is a delightful book. I remember taking American History in college, and that was pretty dull. This reads like a novel, full of interesting anecdotes while conveying the facts as well.

Presidential Campaigns: From George Washington To George W. Bush by Paul F. Boller, Jr. is a lively, informative, and often surprising history of American presidential election campaigns. This is a complete chronological history of from the unanimously concented ascent of General george Washionhton, to the divisively contested Gore vs. Bush recall scandal. Presidental Campaigns is a superbly written and presented political history that, in these politically divise days of presential electioneering, deserves as wide a readership as possible among the electorate.

This book reminds me again just how much fun the study of history can be. The basic facts of Presidential elections from the beginning to today are solid historical accounts. But they also include the tidbits of electoral trivia that go on in each election, but that are often obscure or unnoticed. This book is both informative and entertaining. I plan to give it as a gift to my opthomologist who is also a history buff. As a retired history professor I look forward to chatting with him during my annual examinations.

I own a previous edition of this book. Facinating information about each campaign. You think 2000 was bad? Take a look at 1876 or 1824. I'd offer more in this review, but it's 4 am and I need to get back to sleep.

As we watch the Democrats and Republicans "square-off" again, Professor Boller has done a Yeoman's job with this classic of American politics, reminding us what this "National crazy season" is all about. Here in one volume, Boller summarizes all but the last four of America's Presidential campaigns: from the first, George Washington's in 1789, to the fortieth, Ronald Reagan's in 1980.

My favorite campaign is the 1876 disputed and brokered election, reminiscent of the "Supreme Court decided" 2000 election. The 1876 election took place in Philadelphia during the Nation's Centennial Year, between two Governors: Rutherford B. Hayes of Ohio and Samuel J. Tilden of New York. Arguably this was the most controversial as well as the most defining campaign of all of American History. Hayes a Republican, known for his honesty and integrity and Tilden known as a reformer, squared off over how to deal with the remnants of the Civil War, the primary issue of which was how to end Reconstruction.

Tilden, the Northerner, and a pro-slavery proponent, sympathies lay with the South and with ending Reconstruction and removing Federal troops from occupying the South, thus leaving the South to manage its own affairs -- meaning of course leaving the problem of what to do with the freed slaves up to the white southerners. Under Tilden's formula the slaves were thus to be left to their own devices in a sea of hostile "foaming at the mouth" Southerners still licking their wounds from the lost of the Civil War. Hayes, though a Republican, was not a Radical "pro-freedom" Republican, and thus was only slightly less accommodating to maintaining the Reconstruction status quo than was Tilden.

When the dust settled, both were short of the necessary electoral college votes, with the 20 votes of SC, La., Fa., and Ore. still in doubt -- even though Tilden had garnered a quarter million more votes than Hayes. Tilden needed only one of the outstanding 20 Electoral College votes, while Hayes needed all 20. Yet after the back room haggling ended, a compromise was struck with Hayes declared the winner. Hayes may have won the battle but Tilden won the war: Reconstruction was ended; the ex-slaves were sacrificed in the process; and the "Jim Crow curtain" descended on the U.S. for the next one hundred years.

The book is well-research, written with the flair of a journalist and full of interesting anecdotes and colorful stories.

Five Stars

Every four years, the United States must take up the task of choosing its chief executive. Campaigns have addressed a wide variety of issues and tactics to get the word out to the American people on who the next President should be.

In Presidential Campaigns, every election, from George Washington's essentially preordained election in 1789 to George W. Bush's controversial victory in 2000, is covered.

It is interesting reading the book cover-to-cover and looking at how America's current Presidential campaigns developed. Starting with the first few elections when the electors of the electoral college were actually important, and how the electoral college itself quickly became more irrelevant around the 1820s and 1830s. Many of the traditions we see today are only recent incarnations. Debates did not come around until 1960 and were not even a mainstay until 1976. Party nominating conventions did not originate until the 1830s or so. They were an important part of every campaign until the late 1970s. With the rise of the primary and caucus systems, convention nominations simply rubber-stamp the decision, but this was not always the case.

The issues themselves play a central role in many elections. From things like banking, tariffs, and the gold standard in the 19th century, to America's role in the world and dealing with Soviet Union in 20th century.

Of course, mudslinging has its place in American Presidential campaign history. Starting right out in 1800, which was one of the nastiest campaigns in history, continuing to the present day.

And who could forget phrases and other notables that have become so important when looking at these campaigns? From Tippecanoe and Tyler, Too, to Bryan's Cross of Gold speech, Dewey Defeats Truman, "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy," and so on. All of it is found in this book.

Controversy is also something that has come up throughout history. Think 2000 was the most controversial election? Try reading up on 1876. Or the two elections when the House of Representatives had to settle the issue (1800 and 1824).

The only error I noted when reading this book, aside from the occasional typo, was in the section on the 1844 campaign. It says that "Fifty-four Forty or Fight" was a campaign slogan, but the phrase did not originate until months after the election itself.

In conclusion, I recommend this book. People interested in American history, political history, and/or presidential history are sure to love it. Each summary is well written and balanced. The only thing it really lacks are the famous electoral maps! But in this case, who needs them?

The book "Presidential Campaigns, from George Washington to George Bush" is an outstanding work of non-fiction, especially for (formerly) politically naive scientists like me. Not only is it well-written, educational, and as un-put-downable as any racey political novel on the bookstands, today, it also performs the valuable public service of dispelling the myth (perpetually ressurected during election years like this one) that the current election campaign is the dirtiest one in history. But, it also performs the even more important public service (in my opinion) of reminding us that there were, in fact, times when the profession of Politics was more civil and respectable, the American people were more appreciative of the right to vote, and the country as a whole benefitted from both, especially during times much harder than anything we face today.

This volume has a permanent place on my bookshelf, and I re-read the relevant portions of it every election season. I recommend it enthusiastically to anyone and everyone who does not actually prefer to be an uninformed, non-voting citizen of the United States of America.

I bought the book for research about James Buchanan, being gay. This area was not in the chapter. But the book was well researched and a fun read when I travel and have nothing to do.