Harry L. Watson.. vs. Henry Clay: Democracy and Development in Antebellum America. Boston: St. Martin's Press, 1998. xv + 283 pp. $65.00, cloth, ISBN 978-0-312-17772-0.

Reviewed by Jonathan Earle

Published on H-SHEAR (November, 1998)

Nearly all of us who teach at the college or and the Fight against Slavery, and Gunther university level are familiar with the Bedford Se‐ Barth's The Lewis and Clark Expedition. Now we ries in History and Culture, a rapidly-growing col‐ have the best book the series has so far produced: lection of primary documents and essays for use Harry L. Watson's Andrew Jackson vs. Henry Clay. in undergraduate classes. The mission of the se‐ At frst glance, this collection of documents ries, which is advised by Ernest May and Natalie appears to have a narrower focus than many of Davis, is to ofer undergraduates inexpensive and the others in the series. After all, one can imagine topical primary documents with up-to-date analy‐ assigning (as I do) David Blight's The Narrative of sis by experts in the feld. The original books in the Life of Frederick Douglass to illustrate numer‐ the series took public domain writings like the ous themes: slavery, the abolitionist movement, Narrative and Life of Frederick Douglass, The Au‐ autobiography, and slave narratives as a genre, as tobiography of and Plunkitt of well as concepts of race and gender. But what Pro‐ Tammany Hall and re-packaged them (well, I fessor Watson has covered here is far more than a might add) for the college market. All of these chronicle of political infghting between the sev‐ valuable documents were already available in enth President and his chief political adversary, several forms, mostly in paperback, and in multi‐ the three-time Presidential loser Henry Clay. On ple copies in even the sparest college libraries. the contrary, as Watson's sweeping introduction The later books in the series, however, have fo‐ makes clear, this collection touches on many, if cused ever more energy on assembling new and not most, of the major themes covered in a course interesting collections of documents, many which on antebellum U.S. History. On one level, Watson have never been collected before. Several of these focuses on the relationship between the two most are of particular note to readers of H-SHEAR, in‐ outstanding political leaders of the era. But, far cluding Jack Rakove's Declaring Rights, Theda more signifcantly for teaching purposes, Watson Perdue and Michael Green's The Re‐ delves far beyond the personal and even political. moval, William Cain's H-Net Reviews

The book is really an extended essay on the cen‐ graph that pushed aside issues of slavery, gender, tral tensions facing Americans in the antebellum ethnicity and reform, it would be hopelessly--even period: democracy (defned as "the movement for fatally--fawed, a case for a scathing review. Such, equality and popular rule by the majority of all however, is not the case here. While this reviewer white men") and the contemporary debate over would have welcomed some discussion of how economic development (p. vii). As Watson points the slavery issue was pushed aside (for example, out in his preface, this debate framed political dis‐ Jackson's 1835 message labeling abolitionists "fa‐ course for the entire generation before the Civil natics" and justifying mob violence against them; War. It also led directly to the formation of mod‐ banning abolitionist material from ern political parties, one of the most lasting con‐ the U.S. mail; the ; early disagreements tributions of the period. over the annexation of Texas; or how both Whigs Of course the contest between "democracy" and Democrats treated anti-slavery voices within and "development" was not the only one faced by their parties), other books and document collec‐ Americans in this period. As many recent scholars tions exist which deal expertly with these topics. have pointed out, this particular debate enabled There was, until this book, a desperate need for a Americans and their leaders to evade, avoid or document collection or short monograph to up‐ just plain ignore the question of slavery and its date Robert Remini's Andrew Jackson and the place in the life of the republic. (In fact, in a docu‐ (1967), Peter Temin's The Jacksonian ment that might have well warranted inclusion Economy (1969) and even Reginald McGrane's 75- here, the New York Jacksonian year-old The : Some Financial Prob‐ made clear that a chief beneft of a revived lems of the Jacksonian Era (1924). Watson's book Democracy would be to avoid "geographical divi‐ does that brilliantly, by combining well-known sions founded on local interests or, what is worse, documents (such as Jackson's Bank Veto and prejudices between free and slave holding states." Clay's speech attacking Jackson's Removal of the [MVB to Thomas Ritchie, Jan. 13, 1827, Van Buren Deposits), lesser-known documents (campaign let‐ papers]). ters, early pamphlets) with a 118-page introduc‐ tion that beautifully integrates the biographies of Taking a cue from the politicians of the day, Clay and Jackson, as well as the "democracy vs. Watson, too, mostly avoids the slavery issue. He development" debate, into recent scholarship on also rules out immigration and nativism, evangel‐ social change and the market revolution. More‐ ical reform, and changes in issues of gender as over, Andrew Jackson vs. Henry Clay is extremely central focuses of the book. Instead, Watson sticks helpful in engaging students with the political close to subjects debated unceasingly by politi‐ economy in the Jacksonian period--a notoriously cians of the day, such as banking, internal im‐ difcult topic for both students and teachers. provements, and tarifs. He rightly points out that to skirt these issues and concentrate only on those At this point, let me divert from the usual that later eclipsed them would be to distort our course of a book review, and talk about how An‐ understanding of the age--an age where disagree‐ drew Jackson vs. Henry Clay played in the class‐ ments over building a or re-char‐ room. This, I hope, will be a novel use of H-NET tering the Second Bank of the U.S. were vital is‐ reviews and ignite some debate for those of us sues indeed. who teach courses in the antebellum period. Some disclaimers: I have only taught the book in It is precisely this limitation of subject matter one course, and my students are not experts in that makes Andrew Jackson vs. Henry Clay such a the feld, dying to know the intricacies of Jackso‐ valuable teaching tool. If the book was a mono‐ nian-era politics and fnance. In fact, they are a

2 H-Net Reviews group of fairly typical state university students in and run for public ofce," the student reported. an upper-level lecture course on U.S. History, He also wrote of the nuance present in Clay's let‐ 1787-1850. I assigned the book (which is over 250 ter to Francis T. Brooke, explaining his endorse‐ pages long) over the course of two weeks: one ment of . Here Clay conde‐ where I focused on events before Jackson's elec‐ scendingly called Jackson a "military chieftain"; tion ("The Era of Bad Feelings and the the student said he was surprised how efective Compromise") and one where I focused on "Jack‐ Clay's mudslinging had been. Several students sonians, Whigs and the Politics of the ". At said they wanted more documents from the men's the same time, I assigned chapters 10 and 11 of early careers. This left me a bit puzzled, since Sean Wilentz's Major Problems in the Early Re‐ Watson included Jackson's early marching orders public. In the past, I have taken it upon myself to (see above) and Clay's 1798 newspaper column (as discuss the nuts and bolts of the Bank War, Nullif‐ "Scaevola") in support of a state constitutional cation, the Specie Circular, etc. I fashion myself convention. more-than-an-amateur on these issues, but had a In short, both discussions on Andrew Jackson hard time connecting with students as to why vs. Henry Clay were among our best of the semes‐ Jacksonian-era Americans argued so passionately ter. They delved deeply into major issues of the about, say, the censure resolutions against Jack‐ day, into the lives of signifcant actors of the era, son. and into things that are often hard to discuss: the I asked the students to take a few minutes to political economy of antebellum America. One tell me what they liked about the book, and what student so enjoyed the format that she is borrow‐ they didn't like, and how it could be improved. ing Watson's method and writing her term paper Now, I know better than to take everything stu‐ on Andrew Jackson vs. John C. Calhoun. She said dents say at face value--otherwise, I would lecture she plans to begin with the two men's similar po‐ once a month, assign "The Buccaneer" with Yul sitions on the , then discuss Calhoun's Brenner and Charleton Heston in lieu of docu‐ role in Jackson's 1818 Florida campaign, the strug‐ ment collections and give them all A's. But, over‐ gle for succession in Jackson's cabinet, and con‐ whelmingly, the students reported that they en‐ clude with Calhoun's last speech against the Com‐ joyed Andrew Jackson vs. Henry Clay. Some gave promise of 1850. For this enthusiasm, I am grate‐ me permission to quote them directly in this re‐ ful to Professor Watson and his book. view. From one junior history major, discussing Copyright (c) 1998 by H-Net, all rights re‐ the document where Jackson gives patriotic or‐ served. This work may be copied for non-proft ders to the Tennessee militia in 1812: "Although I educational use if proper credit is given to the au‐ view [Jackson's] actions as disgusting, I could easi‐ thor and the list. For other permission, please con‐ ly see how a frontiersman would back 'Old Hicko‐ tact [email protected]. ry'". This is impressive, since I do not recall her addressing particular documents before. Another student, this one more talented, referred specif‐ cally to the 1824 letter to Jackson written by Ed‐ ward Patchell. This was a particularly clever doc‐ ument for Watson to include: it shows beyond a doubt the efect Jackson's Presidential candidacy had on grassroots supporters like Patchell, a hat maker from Pittsburgh. "Patchell's reverence for Jackson left me feeling quite inspired to go out

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Citation: Jonathan Earle. Review of Watson., Harry L. Andrew Jackson vs. Henry Clay: Democracy and Development in Antebellum America. H-SHEAR, H-Net Reviews. November, 1998.

URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=2476

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