Henry Wilson and the Era of Reconstruction

by John L. Myers

Overview

Already a leader of the Republican party when the Civil War began, Henry Wilson had distinguished himself as the most important Congressional figure on military and antislavery and pro-black legislation during the war. During the Era of Reconstruction, Wilson fought to protect the rights of the newly-freed slaves, but he was opposed to the severe punishment of Confederate leaders and initially tried to be conciliatory toward President Johnson's lenient policies. Soon Wilson joined others in promoting Congress's own Reconstruction program, including the 14th and 15th Amendments, the Military Reconstruction Acts, and the impeachment of the President. He became the Republican Party's most frequently-used campaign speaker. Long recognized as a spokesman for labor, he was also the foremost national politician promoting the cause of prohibition. He wrote the most authoritative three-volume work on the causes of the Civil War from the northern viewpoint. He was also a frequent contributor to the era's most influential religious periodical. In 1872, Wilson was rewarded for his political activities when he was nominated and elected as the country's vice-president.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780761847434
Publisher:	University Press of America
Publication date:	07/29/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	315
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

John L. Myers is emeritus professor of history, State University of New York, Plattsburgh. He has previously published Henry Wilson and the Coming of the Civil War (University Press of America, 2005) and Senator Henry Wilson and the Civil War (University Press of America, 2008). He has written a large number of articles dealing with the antislavery agents of the 1830s. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Foreword
Chapter 2 Chapter 1: At War's End
Chapter 3 Chapter 2: The Break Between Congress and Johnson
Chapter 4 Chapter 3: Congress vs. the President
Chapter 5 Chapter 4: The Failure to Impeach the President
Chapter 6 Chapter 5: Republican Party Endorsed
Chapter 7 Chapter 6: Grant and New Issues
Chapter 8 Chapter 7: The Republican Party Begins to Divide
Chapter 9 Chapter 8: Senate and Party Reconciler
Chapter 10 Chapter 9: Election as Vice-President
Chapter 11 Chapter 10: The Slave Power in America
Chapter 12 Chapter 11: The Vice-President
Chapter 13 Bibliography
Chapter 14 Notes
Chapter 15 Index
Chapter 16 About the Author

Editorial Reviews

This book constitutes the third volume of Myers's study of Henry Wilson. The previous two covered his career before (Henry Wilson and the Coming of the Civil War, 2005) and during the Civil War (Senator Henry Wilson and the Civil War, 2007). This one continues the story with Wilson's activities in Congress and in the executive branch during Reconstruction. Myers (emer., SUNY Plattsburgh) focuses on Wilson's activities during Congress's struggle with President Andrew Johnson over control of Reconstruction,his leadership in the Senate during President U.S. Grant's first term, and his service as vice president during Grant's second term. Myers maintains that even though the upper class of Wilson's native Northeast never accepted him as an equal, he became apotent political force during the late 1860s and 1870s. Wilson was a mediator who sought to reconcile various Republicans into common purpose, according to Myers's interpretation. Wilson's disapproval of Grant's ill-disguised attempt to captain a third term led to division between the two and to harsh criticism from Grant's friends before Wilson's death in November 1873. Myers consulted significant numbers of archive collections, period newspapers and journals, public documents, and secondary sources in

Choice Reviews - JP Sanson

Beginning with a foreword on Wilson's life before Abraham Lincoln's assassination, this volume stands alone. Although multivolume biographies are the exception rather than the rule these days, the usefulness of shorter volumes is undeniable.... The book is well written and extensively researched, and, along with Myers's previous two volumes on Wilson, it will go far in resurrecting the most prominent of the forgotten leaders of the early Republican Party.

Journal of Southern History

Beginning with a foreword on Wilson's life before Abraham Lincoln's assassination, this volume stands alone. Although multivolume biographies are the exception rather than the rule these days, the usefulness of shorter volumes is undeniable.... The book is well written and extensively researched, and, along with Myers's previous two volumes on Wilson, it will go far in resurrecting the most prominent of the forgotten leaders of the early Republican Party.

The Journal of Southern History

Beginning with a foreword on Wilson's life before Abraham Lincoln's assassination, this volume stands alone. Although multivolume biographies are the exception rather than the rule these days, the usefulness of shorter volumes is undeniable.... The book is well written and extensively researched, and, along with Myers's previous two volumes on Wilson, it will go far in resurrecting the most prominent of the forgotten leaders of the early Republican Party.

The Journal Of Southern History

Beginning with a foreword on Wilson's life before Abraham Lincoln's assassination, this volume stands alone. Although multivolume biographies are the exception rather than the rule these days, the usefulness of shorter volumes is undeniable.... The book is well written and extensively researched, and, along with Myers's previous two volumes on Wilson, it will go far in resurrecting the most prominent of the forgotten leaders of the early Republican Party.

Journal Of Southern History