A Companion to the Antebellum Presidents, 1837‐1861. Edited by Joel H.Silbey. Malden, MA: Wiley Blackwell, 2014. 483 pp.

Abstract

A Companion to Antebellum Presidents, 1837-1861. Edited by Joel H. Silbey. Malden, MA: Wiley Blackwell, 2014. 483 pp. The American presidency is no stranger to mediocrity. The quarter century prior to Civil War mirrors particular challenge of leadership in a nation splintering under hammer blows of slavery and sectionalism. Of eight men who occupied White House between 1837 and 1861, none was elected to a second term. Undistinguished and lacking in charisma, only one--James K. Polk--has been considered by scholars as an effective chief executive. Even then, Young Hickory's reputation has been tarnished by charges of launching an immoral war against Mexico. More problematic has been ineffectiveness of Franklin Pierce and James Buchanan in their handling of tensions exploding in 1850s. Against this backdrop, accomplished scholar Joel Silbey has assembled a stellar group of historians to reexamine narrative of era and to place those events in context of most recent historiography. The volume commences with four fine essays on major themes of period--politics, expansion, sectionalism, and foreign policy--authored by Silbey, Michael Morrison, Nicole Etcheson, and Jay Sexton. Sixteen detailed presidential case studies follow. Martin Van Buren's reputation does not improve. While M. Philip Lucas charts Magician's transition from partisan leader to statesman commencing in 1828, cold reality of Jonathan Atkins's essay reveals New Yorker's failed term, dominated by economic repercussions of Panic of 1837. William Shade breathes new life into legend surrounding William Henry Harrison, arguing that Old Tip was a substantial candidate who ran a serious and well-organized campaign in 1840. Ed Crapol constructs a balanced approach to duel for power between Henry Clay and John Tyler. While giving Harry of West due credit for his party leadership and domestic programs, Crapol reminds us of Tyler's energy and achievements in foreign affairs. The enigmatic Polk merits attention of four chapters. M. J. Heale focuses on Tennessean's desperate mission to restore republican government and to crush federalism. In advancing both his domestic and foreign policy agendas, a political price was paid, but the bonds of Democratic Party were grievously strained rather than broken (p. 213). In his well-crafted discussion of domestic politics, veteran Polk scholar Paul Bergeron affirms president's commitment to attacking American system. …