Affairs of Honor: National Politics in the New RepublicIn this extraordinary book, Joanne Freeman offers a major reassessment of political culture in the early years of the American republic. By exploring both the public actions and private papers of key figures such as Thomas Jefferson, Aaron Burr, and Alexander Hamilton, Freeman reveals an alien and profoundly unstable political world grounded on the code of honor. In the absence of a party system and with few examples to guide America's experiment in republican governance, the rituals and rhetoric of honor provided ground rules for political combat. Gossip, print warfare, and dueling were tools used to jostle for status and form alliances in an otherwise unstructured political realm. These political weapons were all deployed in the tumultuous presidential election of 1800--an event that nearly toppled the new republic. By illuminating this culture of honor, Freeman offers new understandings of some of the most perplexing events of early American history, including the notorious duel between Burr and Hamilton. A major reconsideration of early American politics, Affairs of Honor offers a profoundly human look at the anxieties and political realities of leaders struggling to define themselves and their role in the new nation. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 70
Page 9
Sorry, this page's content is restricted.
Sorry, this page's content is restricted.
Page 16
Sorry, this page's content is restricted.
Sorry, this page's content is restricted.
Page 35
Sorry, this page's content is restricted.
Sorry, this page's content is restricted.
Page 36
Sorry, this page's content is restricted.
Sorry, this page's content is restricted.
Page 58
Sorry, this page's content is restricted.
Sorry, this page's content is restricted.
Contents
Walking on Untrodden Ground The Challenges of National Politics | 1 |
The Theater of National Politics | 11 |
Slander Poison Whispers and Fame The Art of Political Gossip | 62 |
The Art of Paper War | 105 |
Dueling as Politics | 159 |
An Honor Dispute of Grand Proportions The Presidential Election of 1800 | 199 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
Aaron Burr Abigail Adams accusations Adams Family Papers Adams-Cunningham Correspondence Adams's affair of honor Albert Gallatin Alexander Hamilton American April attack August Boston Patriot Burr's campaign Carolina challenge character charges conversation Davis debate December declared defend dinner dishonor duel Early Republic election of 1800 electors elite essays February Federal Federalists Fisher Ames friends Genet gossip Hamilton Papers ibid insult James Madison James McHenry James Monroe January John Adams John Beckley John Quincy Adams July June letters Library of Congress Livingston Maclay Maclay's Diary Madison Papers March Massachusetts Historical Society Memoirs of Aaron memoranda memorandum national politicians national politics Ness New-York Historical Society newspaper November October Oliver Wolcott pamphlet Papers of Aaron partisan party Pennsylvania Philadelphia politicking president presidential Republican reputation reveals Rufus King Senate Tench Coxe Theodore Sedgwick Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson Papers tion University Press Virginia vote William Loughton Smith William Plumer wrote York
Popular passages
Page 350 - President of the United States | and | A Development | of the | Characters and views | of his | Political Opponents...