Ago i started the research as a dissertation. Hes an interesting figure. I will give you a couple of brief biographical insights. Born and raised in ohio, goes to west point, not a stellar student. Hes won to merit away from being dismissed every year, actually. [laughter] his best friend at west point was Winfield Scott hancock. Hes 32 out of a class of 52. He participates in the seminal wars and the new mexican wars. He sees himself being this career military person and making a life in the military. He finds himself as a Lieutenant Colonel in the War Department. If you have read the book, you know i tried to sidestep the claim that he was responsible for starting the american civil war. Was sent on a secret mission to talk to Robert Anderson about the prospect of what might happen if South Carolina decided to secede. You have to understand, floyd, the war secretary, has given bewell no instructions and he spent three days in trust and harbor with Robert Anderson and after the first
Michael holt will. At the professor university. He was educated at princeton and phd at Johns Hopkins university. For time off at Cambridge University yale, stanford, and other institutions, cold has other institutions, cold has, been at the University Since 1970 or. Hes written deeply about political history. For many years, his writing focus was on the years before the civil war. The political crisis of the 19 1950s,ese of the which he wrote about, has been used for political courses. , was the runner up for the lincoln prize and is notten described as just because of the 1296 pages. More recently, he has written about the construction the reconstruction following the war. Is by one vote the disputed president ial election of 1876 tells the story of americas closest president ial election, which perhaps coincidentally, had the highest percentage of eligible voters participating during any election, 81. 5 . Please welcome michael holt. [applause] michael thank you. It was tthe 1850s t
Contest of 2000. And its no coincidence, in fact, that three years after the 2000 lection, two new books about the election of 1876 appeared ith the 2000 contest clearly in mind. One was by a bitter democrat. Its title says it all. Braud of the century, rother ford b hey. The republicans had stolen elections before. The other interesting thing, lee, was former chief which was sort of subtle defeet or subtle degeese in. He went into deciding whether to settle the election of 1876. There were certainly parallels, sometimes eerie. In 1876, as in pho two. As in 2000, electoral votes were in dispute, including the electoral roets of florida but also the electoral votes of South Carolina and louisiana that were being disputed. In act, all three of those states ent contesting sets of electoral votes to washington to be counted. Now, theres emocratic electors and republican electors. In 2000, here were people who counted rutherford b. Hays as an. I was originally approached by editors of a new
Institute at Gettysburg College, also a professor of history, also here at gettysburg. It is my pleasure to introduce mark summers. Mark summers is the thomas d. Clark professor of history at the university of kentucky where he teaches courses in 19th century u. S. History and political history. He is the author of numerous books including rum, romanticism and rebellion, the making of a president in 1884, as well as a dangerous stir, fear, paranoia and the making of reconstruction. This book was a groundbreaking monograph, one that examined the overlooked role of fear and emotions in reconstruction politics. Most recently, dr. Summers published this book, the ordeal of reunion and it is already sold out in our bookstore, just behind you. There will be more copies coming. This volume, which is part of the university of North Carolina little field series, it is, what i think, a volume that needs to stand alongside eric foners classic reconstruction. It is that important of a book. Mark s
Also here at gettysburg. It is my pleasure to introduce mark summers. Mark summers is the thomas d. Clark professor of history at the university of kentucky where he teaches courses in 19th century u. S. History and political history. He is the author of numerous books including rum, romanticism and rebellion, the making of a president in 1884, as well as a dangerous stir, fear, paranoia and the making of reconstruction. This book was a groundbreaking monograph. It was one that examined the overlooked role of fear and emotions in reconstruction politics. Most recently, dr. Summers published this book, the ordeal of reunion and it is already sold out in our bookstore, just behind you. There will be more copies coming. This volume, which is part of the university of North Carolina littlefield series, it is, what i think, a volume that needs to stand alongside eric foners classic reconstruction. Its that important of a book. Mark summers, this evening, he has the task to frame the reconst