The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to the Civil War
Joanne B Freeman
The best non-fiction books make you want to fall down a rabbit hole of tangential topics, right?
Well, this one did that for me. Every few paragraphs I would stop, pick up my phone, and google a person, event, or piece of legislation. I wish I could blame that entirely on why this one took me so long, but life just got in the way more and more.
What’s it about? Hyperpolarization isn’t new for this country. This book convinces me that it could be way worse. Congressmen battled, but not as they do today. They carried arms, beat each other with canes. The country’s fissures were showing so clearly in Congress. Some elections placated the Southern masses, and a few legislative plans settled the sides for a few years, but there wasn’t an easy end for either side. Well, until the Civil War.
Scariest part of this book? Seeing a new news medium change Congress dramatically. The telegraph made news more immediate. Politicians could make a speech or beat a coworker and their constituents could find out the next day. Suddenly pleasing their constituents was even more critical. Reminds you of a certain tweeting iPhone app, doesn’t it?
Best player? A member of my favorite political family: John Quincy Adams. I had no idea he served in the House of Representatives after being President. Adams used his political and bureaucratic wherewithal to bypass the ridiculous mess of gag rules preventing discussions about slavery. He would stand up and speak out, regardless of the rules preventing him from doing so. He was threatened and hated for doing so. A true leader.
Most memorable moment? The author’s familiarity with her primary source. This book is mostly written from the papers of B B French. He was a Congressional staffer from New Hampshire. Freeman knows his voice and humor so well, you’ll think they were relatives. Having a very tiny fraction of awareness of what it takes to write this kind of book, it warmed me when I stumbled across lines that made this closeness clear.
Here’s a quote:
But responsibility for these failings doesn’t rely solely on Congress. As a representative institution, the U.S. Congress embodies the temper of its time. When the nation is polarized and civic commonality dwindles, Congress reflects the image back to the American people. The give-and-take of deliberative politics breaks down, brings accusations, personal abuse, and even violence in its wake. National political parties fracture. Trust in the institution of Congress lapses, as does the trust in national institutions of all kinds, and indeed, the trust of Americans in one another. At such times, they are forced to reckon with what there nation is, and what it should be. During such periods of national moment, the failures of the People’s branch are profound indeed. (p 283)
All Things Emily 