Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Benjamin Harrison: The American Presidents Series: The 23rd President, 1889-1893
    Unavailable
    Benjamin Harrison: The American Presidents Series: The 23rd President, 1889-1893
    Unavailable
    Benjamin Harrison: The American Presidents Series: The 23rd President, 1889-1893
    Ebook296 pages6 hours

    Benjamin Harrison: The American Presidents Series: The 23rd President, 1889-1893

    By Charles W. Calhoun and Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.

    3/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    The scion of a political dynasty ushers in the era of big government

    An engrossing ferry to 19th century America, Benjamin Harrison is sure to capture every political enthusiast's attention. Join Charles W. Calhoun as he renders a fresh perspective on one of America's most controversial leaders.

    The book serves as an insightful biography of Harrison, a prominent Indiana attorney and Republican champion, considered by some as the harbinger of big government. A politically gifted progeny, our protagonist's DNA carries signatures of greats like William Henry Harrison, the ninth president, and a signer of the Declaration.

    Despite losing the popular vote, Harrison managed to inflict a crushing defeat on the incumbent, Grover Cleveland, in the electoral college in the historic election of 1888. A fertile blend of political tumult, personal tribulations, and unprecedented events, this narrative vividly unravels the anxious race for a second term and the culminating silence of Harrison to the beat of Cleveland at their fabled rematch.

    The vibrant backdrop of the Gilded Age coupled with the intricate detailing of Harrison's life and times makes this rendition instrumental for every American history aficionado.

    The book uncovers rich facets of the enigmatic Harrison while confronting under-explored themes like the Sherman Antitrust Act, McKinley Tariff, and the Panic of 1893. Calhoun's captivating storytelling delivers an intimate account of presidential dynamics in 19th-century America.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateDec 24, 2013
    ISBN9781466860810
    Unavailable
    Benjamin Harrison: The American Presidents Series: The 23rd President, 1889-1893
    Author

    Charles W. Calhoun

    Charles W. Calhoun is a professor of history at East Carolina University. A former National Endowment for the Humanities fellow, Calhoun is the author or editor of four books, including The Gilded Age, and a member of the editorial board of the Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. He lives in Greenville, North Carolina.

    Related to Benjamin Harrison

    Related ebooks

    Political Biographies For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      ‘Old Brains’ And ‘Granny Lee’

      Mar 9, 2021

      THE RELATIONSHIP between soldiers and their commanders can be indicated by nicknames, which also provide insights into how opponents and civilians on both sides thought about various generals. Nathan Bedford Forrest, lauded by Confederates as the “Wi

      4 min read

    • Article

      Kith & Kin

      Sep 21, 2021

      In the spring of 1862, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s 48-day Shenandoah Valley Campaign sought to retain control of the heart of the Confederacy. “If the Valley is lost, Virginia is lost,” he claimed, and many in the South believed if Virginia was lost

      4 min read

    • Article

      'Heirs Of The Founders' Profiles The 'Second Generation' Of Great American Leaders

      Nov 13, 2018

      In his latest historical spellbinder, bestselling author and scholar H.W. Brands profiles Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, and John Calhoun, as well as the decades leading up to the Civil War.

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Tragedy of Edmund Morris

      May 28, 2019

      The Tragedy of Edmund Morris
      5 min read

    • Article

      Truman Visits Chartwell

      May 3, 2021

      Truman Visits Chartwell
      9 min read

    • Article

      When Leadership Fails

      Nov 12, 2018

      When Leadership Fails
      4 min read

    • Article

      A National Test

      Nov 8, 2019

      A National Test
      6 min read

    • Article

      Our Better Angels

      Dec 17, 2018

      Our Better Angels
      5 min read

    • Article

      American Mandarins

      Mar 1, 2022

      American Mandarins
      22 min read

    • Article

      The Last WASP President

      Dec 2, 2018

      The Last WASP President
      4 min read

    • Article

      Explosive Election

      Nov 17, 2020

      Explosive Election
      12 min read

    • Article

      Biden’s Muse

      Apr 14, 2021

      Biden’s Muse
      9 min read

    • Article

      Recovery Act

      Nov 13, 2020

      Recovery Act
      4 min read

    • Article

      Recovery Act

      Nov 13, 2020

      Recovery Act
      4 min read

    • Article

      Why America’s Founding Is A Conservative Touchstone

      Feb 7, 2022

      James Manship, a conservative activist who regularly attends right-wing marches and rallies, wears his politics.  From the bottom up, he puts on colonial riding boots, stockings, breeches, a white dress shirt, a vest, an overcoat, a white wig, and a

      5 min read

    Reviews for Benjamin Harrison

    3/5

    30 ratings2 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      It's quite amazing that so often biographers of US presidents tend to make the subject of their biographies look better and to demean other presidents. This is my main gripe with this work. Groover Cleveland - although not without his own problems (who doesn't have them) - arguably had more positive influence on the course of US history than Benjamin Harrison. Yet, author practically ignores Cleveland as some hack and glosses over problems associated with Harrison's term.
    • 3/5
      There are a lot of candidates for Worst Ever American President -- Richard Nixon, Warren G. Harding, Franklin Pierce, and of course the incomparably worthless James Buchanan. Benjamin Harrison surely does not belong in that company. But he may well deserve an award for "most bloodless."This book tries hard to make something of Harrison. It stresses all the work he was constantly doing, and the many roles he played in government and society. But Harrison never comes to life -- and it's by no means clear that it's the author's failing. I was struck, for instance, by just how much Harrison's presidency resembled that of James A. Garfield. They had similar backgrounds -- civilians who had joined the Union army as generals, been made colonels in the armies of their states, reached brigade command by seniority, then ended up as generals. Both were dark horse candidates at the Republican convention. They both won 48% of the vote (in Garfield's case, that gave him a bare plurality; in Harrison's, it left him just short, but the percentages were very close). They won almost the same states -- the only differences were that Garfield lost and Harrison won California and Nevada. They even picked two of the same senior cabinet officers, Secretary of State James G. Blaine and Treasury Secretary William Windom. Harrison got to serve out his term, of course, unlike Garfield who had been assassinated -- but it's as if nothing had changed. Harrison changed the emphasis of his administration, but there were no new ideas, just new people to disagree with.In the end, I came away from this book utterly cold. That could be Harrison's personality; it could be author Calhoun's inability to describe that personality. But I strongly suspect it was Harrison. Harrison is unusual in that he was twice nominated for president, and lost the popular vote both times. Little surprise. His opponent Grover Cleveland may not have been quite as intellectually gifted as Harrison, but he was a warm and lively man. And warm candidates beat cold fish almost every time.

      1 person found this helpful