American Presidency Series

"In this book Elbert B. Smith disagrees sharply with traditional interpretations of Taylor and Fillmore, the twelfth and thirteenth presidents (from 1848 to 1853). Smith argues that Taylor and Fillmore have been seriously misrepresented and underrated. They faced a terrible national crisis and accepted every responsibility without flinching or directing blame toward anyone else."--Publisher.

"Mark Twain, who captured the essence of the Gilded Age, predicted that, in time, the "real and substantial greatness" of the Hayes presidency would cause it to "stand out against the horizon of history in its true proportions." This volume, an assessment of all significant aspects of the Hayes administration, may bring about just such a reappraisal. It is am important reevaluation of the administration that officially ended the Reconstruction era."--Publisher.

Abraham Lincoln's life and work have inspired more books than any other historical figure except Jesus and Shakespeare and attracted some of America's most renowned writers. But few know him as well as Phillip Paludan, one of the nation's foremost authorities on Lincoln and the Civil War. Paludan offers us Lincoln in whole - a complex, even contradictory personality who found greatness without seeking it and who felt deeply troubled about what he perceived as the nation's intertwined triumph and tragedy. Filled with fresh insights and new interpretations, this book presents a genuinely new and compelling portrait of a president and nation at war. It is essential reading for anyone interested in Lincoln, the presidency, and the Civil War.

History and analysis of the Kennedy presidency covering important domestic and foreign topics.

This book offers conclusions that are very different from most of the traditional historical interpretations of the Buchanan presidency. Historians have either condemned Buchanan for weakness and vacillation or portrayed him as a president dedicated to peace who did everything constitutionally possible to avoid war. Under the scrutiny of Elbert B. Smith, Buchanan emerges as a strong figure who made vital contributions not to peace but to the accelerating animosities that produced the war.

Presents an assessment of the Johnson administration including the Vietnam issue.

"As controversial in politics as he was in the military, Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) was an embattled president, enormously popular with the American people, yet the target of unrelenting censure by political enemies. For the first time in almost a century, this book by the distinguished historian Charles W. Calhoun examines Grant's administration in depth, offering a fresh look at the 18th president's policies and actions during his two terms in office (1869-1877). Most biographers focus on Grant's military career, giving less attention to the significant and complex questions that marked his presidential terms. These concerns, the issues of politics and governance, are at the core of this book. As a political historian with a vast knowledge of nineteenth-century America and an extensive array of original sources at his command, Calhoun approaches Grant's presidency not as an incongruous or inconsequential sequel to his military career but instead as the polestar of American public life during a crucial decade in the nation's political development. He explores Grant's leadership style and traces his contributions to the office of president, including creating a White House staff, employing modern technology to promote the mobility of the presidency, and developing strong ties with congressional leaders to enhance executive influence over legislation. The Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant provides a detailed discussion of the administration's endeavors in a variety of areas--Reconstruction and civil rights, economic policy, the Peace Policy for Native Americans, foreign policy, and civil service reform. It also offers a straightforward examination of the scandals associated with the period, highlighting the "embattled" nature of Grant's presidency and the deep antagonism that marked his relations with key critics such as Charles Sumner, Henry Adams, and Benjamin Bristow. In sum, this book is a long overdue re-evaluation of a pivotal presidency in America's political history"-- "This is the 36th volume in the American Presidency Series; it covers the two-term (1868-1877) controversial presidency of Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885). While several biographies of Grant have appeared in recent years, there has been no scholarly work on Grant's presidency since the 1930s. Charles Calhoun is an eminent authority on the history of the United States in the late nineteenth century, and uses his vast knowledge here, along with extensive use of original sources, to examine Grant's presidency in a fresh light"--