There was a rivalry between the parties, of course, but in Potter's account, it was more like the rivalry between Cal and Stanford than that between today's Republicans and Democrats. The parties had somewhat different constituencies and pledged fealty to a different set of men, but each attempted to encompass as much of the political spectrum as possible rather than merely half of it. The story of the 1850s, by these lights, is about how this changed.

With reference to David M. Potter's The Impending Crisis, Adam Cadre surveys the four antebellum presidents. [more inside]
posted by Iridic on Oct 22, 2009 - 23 comments

Harrison became president in 1841. He was in Washington on March 4, 1841. He was 67 years old when he was president. Harrison died in April 4, 1841. He died in office. That was William Henry Harrison. I miss William Henry Harrison. He would make a good President or delegate today. I think he should be on all dollars.
posted by dfowler on Jun 2, 2004 - 24 comments