President-Making in the Gilded Age: The Nominating Conventions of 1876-1900

President-Making in the Gilded Age: The Nominating Conventions of 1876-1900
ISBN-10
1476663122
ISBN-13
9781476663128
Category
History
Pages
308
Language
English
Published
2015-11-24
Publisher
McFarland
Author
Stan M. Haynes

Description

Nominating conventions were the highlight of presidential elections in the Gilded Age, an era when there were no primaries, no debates and nominees did little active campaigning. Unlike modern conventions, the outcomes were not so seemingly predetermined. Historians consider the late 19th century an era of political corruption, when party bosses controlled the conventions and chose the nominees. Yet the candidates nominated by both Republicans and Democrats during this period won despite the opposition of the bosses, and were opposed by them once in office. This book analyzes the pageantry, drama, speeches, strategies, platforms, deal-making and often surprising outcomes of the presidential nominating conventions of the Gilded Age, debunking many wildely-held beliefs about politics in a much-maligned era.

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