1884 Senator James Blaine Twenty Years of Congress, 1861 to 1881 1st Edition

POWERFUL with foldout map of America from 1819 21.5x15 at rear of volume 1

Without the hours of deliberation though Congress and Senate we would not have a unified country today!

From Lincoln to Garfield, most precise book ever on the Civil War and politics at that time.

Senator James Blaine wrote Twenty Years of Congress chiefly as a political history, but also as a personal reminiscence.

The two volumes cover the political events from 1861 through 1881.

Volume one begins with a thorough review of events leading up to the formation of the Republican party, the election of President Abraham Lincoln, and the secession of the Southern states.

The second volume covers issues that arose during the Civil War and Reconstruction era and the people and political events of that tumultuous time.

Blaines intent was to present an objective history, and he wrote respectfully of political opponents, including a portrait of his political foe,Senator Roscoe Conkling,of New York.

Despite his personal success, Blaine remained awe-struck by the success of the U.S. political system in such trying times.

The twenty years between 1861 and 1881 are memorable in the history of the Congress of the United States.

Senators and Representatives were called upon to deal with new problems from the hour in which they were summoned by President Lincoln to provide for the exigencies of a great war.

(They confronted enormous difficulties at every step)

And if they had failed in their duty, if they had not comprehended the gravity and peril of the situation, the Union of the States might have been lost, the progress of civilization on the American Continent checked for generations.

James Gillsepie Blaine began his career in public service in 1859 and remained at the forefront of American politics for 33 years, serving as U.S. representative, Speaker of the House, Senator from Maine, and twice as secretary of state.

A powerful force in American politics, known for his personal charisma and oratory skills, he was considered one of the founders of the modern Republican party.

Thus, he was positioned to have vast knowledge of the political issues preceding the Civil War and the formulation of American policy in the second half of the 19th century.

Blaine sought the GOP nomination for president three times, including in 1876 when he unexpectedly lost the Republican nomination to Rutherford B. Hayes.

Blaines likeness is included in the Cornelia Fassett painting depicting the disputed presidential election of Samuel Tilden and Rutherford B. Hayes.

One of the greatest factual books ever written on the facts about the Civil War and its political arguments.

How through arguments and agreements through the House a new Nation Developed!