What Hath God Wrought: Book Review

In record time, I finished the 855 page What Hath God Wrought by Daniel Walker Howe last night. Yes, I'm a huge nerd in my current reading obsession of the antebellum period. I read it mostly during football weekends, when I felt like I needed to be a little productive during back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back football games. Howe certain had his biases: anti-Jackson, anti-Indian removal, pro-Mormon, anti-Mexican War, pro-John Quincy Adams, pro-Winfield Scott (and sidenote: so that is who Scott Circle is named for!), and pro-womens movement. He celebrated the religious revival of the era, the crusades against slavery, poor beleagured Henry Clay (you wondered how he kept missing his presidential chances), and offered a good round-up of presidents of that era. Not terribly notable Monroe, Adams, Jackson, Martin Van Buren, who was little more than a protegee of Jackson's; Harrison and Tyler, a monumental failure as a Whig prez, James K. Polk, who actually accomplished his goals in advancing the borders of America and retired when he said he would. And eventually Zachary Taylor, who died not too long after his victory in the Mexico War and election. I really felt like I learned a lot about the era--it's glossed over during that period between the War of 1812 and the much-more written about Civil War era. But the antebellum period certainly had its highlights...the conflicted abolitionists movement, slavery rebellions, technology and communication revolutions, the formation of the two-party system (still basically the same as 1860...next year will mark the 150th anniversary of the formation of the GOP...how will we note that?). I definitely remained a fan of Adams and Scott. The personalities were fascinating then and remain so today, and the scandals just as notorious.

I'm going to start from scratch on David Reynolds' Waking Giant, which I attempted to read a year ago during moving and never quite finished. The long discussions of Emerson and Thoreau sort of bored me, because I was much more interested in the politics, but I know I think I have a much more firm grasp of the history of that era. I'm going to also move into my new buy, The Age of Lincoln, to transition into some Civil War era books which I will likely borrow from dad when I'm in Michgan for Thanksgiving. Anyway, I give What Hath God Wrought an A, and I hope this current reading momentum continues.