Colleague, michael holt. Michael holt is the professor of American History here at the university of virginia. He was educated at princeton and learned his ph. D. At Johns Hopkins university. With time offer visiting professional ships at cambridge, yale, stanford and other institutions. He has been at the university of virginia since 1974. He has written widely and deeply about 19 century political history. For many years his writing focus on the years before the civil war. Both the political crisis of the 19 fifties has become the standard for advanced college courses. His 1999 book, the rise involve the american w. H. I. P. Party, draconian politics in the onset of the civil war, was the runner up for the lincoln prize, his most often described as magisterial. And that is not just because of his 1296 heft. More recently, he has written of the reconstruction period following the war. By one vote the disputed election of 1876, it tells the story of americas closest election which perh