A gripping and granular look at how Abraham Lincoln got elected the 16th president of the United States. James McPherson calls the election of 1860 "undeniably the most important--and pivotal--in all of American history." The nation was not merely divided over the issue of slavery; the opposing camps were at each other's throats. The moment John Brown and his men attacked the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry in the fall of 1859 the compromises that had stitched the country together for decades unraveled. The presidential election was therefore about more than who the next president would be. It was about how soon war would follow his inauguration. Using the writings and story of Murat Halstead, the nation's first campaign journalist, as well as previously unused documents from Lincoln's campaign manager, Jonathan Earle captures the full drama of the 1860 election. He shows how Lincoln, a one-time Congressman from Illinois, and a dark horse against the more established Stephen Douglas, the Democratic frontrunner, and William Henry Seward, the presumptive Republican nominee, got the people and votes he needed to win in a protracted yet furiously disputed election cycle. Earle focuses on the chaotic campaigns themselves, as political bosses, candidates, and their self-appointed partisans took politicking in directions that at times resembled paramilitary exercises more than campaign events. In the end, Lincoln and his associates ran a brilliant campaign, leveraging Northern anger, growing antislavery sentiment, and divisions within both the Democratic Party and the nation as a whole. His platform was built on his speeches, which projected a vision for how the nation would persevere in the coming crisis. Behind the commanding rhetoric, however, was sophisticated and very modern political machinery. He Has the People provides an engaging historical narrative and a fresh appraisal of the most consequential of all presidential elections.

About the Author
Jonathan Earle teaches history and politics at Louisiana State University, where he has been Dean of the Ogden Honors College since 2014.

Reviews
Jonathan Earle has made good his intention to portray the contest of 1860 as "the most consequential election in American history-then and to this day." He shows the reader a pivotal moment between Union and Disunion, between a past of slavery and a future of freedom, and between a corrupt peace and a transformative war that ushered in modern America. * James M. McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era *
From the Republican convention in the Wigwam to the general election in 1860, Jonathan Earle has written the best campaign account since Teddy White's book on the 1960 election. * James Carville, Political Contributor, CNN *
This account of the players, passion, rituals, and (at times) barely control bedlam of the "most transformative election in American history" explains how, against all odds, a minor Illinois politician prevailed within a five-person contest. Based on first-hand accounts and highlighting the role of contingency in the election of 1860, Jonathan Earle' book is a thrilling and illuminating read. * Amy S. Greenberg, George Winfree Professor of American History, Penn State University, author of A Wicked War: Polk, Clay, Lincoln, and the 1846 U.S. Invasion of Mexico *
Jonathan Earle's He Has the People offers a fresh, fast-paced account of the transformative year leading to Lincoln's election. The book is a brief but powerful thrill ride, filled with chaos and contingencies, and taking us into the heart of a presidential election that would change the moral and political landscape of America forever. * Michael Vorenberg, author of Lincoln's Peace: The Struggle to End the American Civil War *



Book Information
ISBN 9780195341652
Author Jonathan Earle
Format Hardback
Page Count 232
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 467g
Dimensions(mm) 238mm * 167mm * 24mm