Senator Benton and the People: Master Race Democracy on the Early American Frontiers by Ken S. Mueller (review)

Abstract

Senator Benton and the People: Master Race Democracy on the Early American Frontiers. By Ken S. Mueller. (DeKalb: Northern Illinois University Press, 2014. Pp. 320. Paper, $29.95.)Revieioed by Mark R. CheathemKen Mueller's new book does not completely fill the need for modern biography of Thomas Hart Benton, but it offers different perspective of the longtime U.S. senator from Missouri and leading Democratic spokesman that should lead historians to take fresh look at his place in early republic politics.Mueller's main argument is that while it might be difficult for modern-day Americans to understand, Benton was white supremacist and patriotic champion of democracy and Union in varying degrees (12-13, 259). This apparent contradiction did not exist in the minds of early republic politicians such Benton, Andrew Jackson, and others, who held both views simultaneously without acknowledging the problems inherent in such dichotomous mindset. Mueller also emphasizes the tension that sometimes arose between Benton's identity southerner and westerner. For example, while his desire for Indian removal comported with the ideology shared by Democrats in both regions, Benton's support of internal improvements reflected his western sentiments, which were out of step with many southern party members.Mueller does an effective job of presenting Benton's support for master race democracy, which entailed securing the nation's public lands, expanding the United States' borders westward, and removing Native Americans, all to benefit white American settlers. His discussion of Benton's congressional career emphasizes these issues, helping to form cohesive picture of the Missourian's political development in regard to master race democracy. Mueller also addresses Benton's views on another related issue: slavery. He argues that Benton's transformation from film supporter of during the Missouri Crisis to an opponent nearly three decades later resulted from the Missourian's belief that the South's plantation economy made it into a distinct and economically backward region out of step with the industrial development the rest of the nation was experiencing (230, 234-35). By 1850, Mueller concludes, slavery itself was not so much an evil for Benton as it was an irrelevancy (235).Several things prevent Mueller's book from being completely satisfactory. The first is that with few exceptions, readers get veiy little sense of Benton's private life. This is unfortunate, since there are many intriguing questions about it. For example, Mueller briefly discusses the allegation that Benton had mulatto mistress prior to his marriage to Elizabeth McDowell (82-83). …