Horace Greeley and the Politics of Reform in Nineteenth-Century America

By (author) Mitchell Snay

Not available to order

Publication date:

16 September 2011

Length of book:

216 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781442210028

Horace Greeley (1811–1872) was a major figure in nineteenth century American history. As a newspaper editor, politician, and reformer, Greeley was involved with the major events and trends of the era. He was the influential editor of the New York Tribune from 1841 until his death and was instrumental in the rise of the Whig and Republican parties.

Snay's biography places Greeley in his historical context—considering the ways that he shaped and was influenced by the rise of the Jacksonian party system, the varieties of antebellum reform, the evolution of urban class relations, and the politics of slavery and emancipation.

Introduction
Chapter 1: From Country to City: Coming of Age in the Early Republic
Chapter 2: The Politics of Whiggery: The 1830s
Chapter 3: The World of Print Culture in Antebellum New York
Chapter 4: The Politics of Reform: The 1840s
Chapter 5: The Politics of Antislavery: The 1850s
Chapter 6: The Politics of Union: The Civil War
Chapter 7: The Politics of Reconstruction

Much has been written on Horace Greeley's involvement in progressive causes from the mid-19th century until his death (1872). To some, Greeley appears far ahead of his times in issues such as the women's movement. It is true that he discovered, nurtured, and hired intellectual/transcendentalist Margaret Fuller at the New York Tribune, although as Snay (Denison Univ., Fenians, Freedmen, and Southern Whites: Race and Nationality in the Era of Reconstruction, 2007) admits, Horace's wife, Molly, played a major role in his "discovery." Later, Elizabeth Cady Stanton praised Greeley "as one of our most faithful champions," even though Greeley's support over time appears to have been ambivalent. As for the burgeoning antislavery movement, Greeley "clearly voiced his opposition to slavery, though he failed to embrace abolitionism." Greeley's ambiguity on this and other matters may to some discount his progressivism. He dabbled in politics (as Democratic Party and Liberal Republican nominee in 1872 for the presidency), but deserves to be remembered as a newspaper editor, an activist for varied causes, and even as an environmentalist (a friend is Henry David Thoreau). Snay's is a fine entry in the publisher's "American Profiles" series. Summing Up: Recommended. All levels/libraries.