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For every issue that arises on the legislative agenda, each member of Congress must take two decisions: what position to take and how active to be. This study develops a theory to account for varying levels of participation across members and issues, within House and Senate. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

can't buy votes, but can buy time
Hall points out that while we like to assume that legislators can be bought -- that is, that political donations "buy" a vote on a given issue -- studies have rarely found any real link between a legislator's stand on an issue and the positions s/he takes.Indeed, interest groups often give a good deal of money to their friends: agricultural groups to Congressmen from farmstates, for example. Why bother?

The answer, Hall suggests, is that while Congressmen don't sell their vote, they do rent their time.Members can choose to participate, or not, in any number of arenas -- they only have so many hours in a day and need to choose which meetings to attend and when to speak up.So when deciding when they will go to a given subcommittee or offer a given amendment, they do take into account the strength and intensity of their various constituencies, including those who give money to their campaigns.It's an interesting and well-crafted account.

This is hardly a perfect work (if only because through no fault of Hall's the Congress changed dramatically after 1994, when the GOP took control for the first time in 40 years), but it is a serious one; thus, with respect, the earlier posted review of this book is rather ludicrous.Hall refers to his own work in part because he has been in the forefront of work that explores the dynamics of Congressional behavior; using the first person is a welcome break from the ponderous royal "we" or stating things in the passive tense.It's not clear what statistics are meant to be in question.This book uses quantitative methods, themselves not universal in political science and certainly at times hard to understand.But this doesn't make them incorrect. Hall could do a better job translating his numbers into English, but serious readers need to do some of the work too.

If you like egotism, you'll like this book!
A boring book, even for a political scientist! Mr. Hall has some very interesting theories yet he is so full of himself he misses solutions. His answers to questions are referenced back to studies he had done himself! Heuses the first person on average 35 times a chapter and it gets quiteannoying. He misuses statistics that would make most social scientistscringe with fear.Read this if you are a masochist. ... Read more

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Elizabeth Drew presents a vivid account of the dramatic and historic political clash between Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich as the Speaker of the House sought to repeal the New Deal. Her reporting also reveals the turmoil within the White House and among Republicans -- Bob Dole and Gingrich in particular -- as this remarkable story progressed. Her new afterword shows the political fallout from this struggle and discusses the implications of the '96 elections.Amazon.com Review
Elizabeth Drew is a reporter's reporter. She goes after the factswith a vengeance, sorts through the issues, absorbs the full context and thenlays out the tale in simple yet intelligent language. Her subjects inShowdown offer plenty of material for a behind-the-scenes look at arather tumultuous time in Washington. She contends that House Speaker Newt Gingrich went toofar in his fervor to scale back government. Meanwhile, the Clinton White Househelped itself by standing up to Gingrich but failed to answer many of thehard questions of the debate. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Soild Effort
Ok, I admit it; I am a political junky and a bit of a liberal.I will tend to read anything political and probably enjoy it.With that being said here is another book of his that I will profess to really enjoying.This author has been writing these type of book sense the early 70's and you can tell she has it down cold.She has so many contacts that many times in reading the book you could swear she has the Congress and White House bugged.This book follows the Ginrich contract with American process and how it effects the Clinton team through the second two years that they are in office.You get all the standard Drew items with the book, great details, wonderful he said - she said conversations that really make you feel like a fly on the wall, an easy to follow and well laid out book.

I have read the book "The Agenda" and "The Choice" by Woodward and this book is a nice book in the middle of the two.If you through in "All Too Human" that George Stephanopoulos wrote and you have an excellent view of the first four years of the Clinton Presidency.This is an interesting book that I really enjoyed.If you like political books then you will like this book, if you are interested in the second two years of the Clinton presidency then this is also a good source of information.

Well-researched; will interest political junkies most
Elizabeth Drew has brought years of experience and contact work to the effort to cast light behind one of the most conflict-ridden periods in recent American politics. Parting the curtains of public affairs rhetoric and the pap spoon-fed to the nightly news shows, she shows the reader both the hard policy considerations and the fragile egos at play in the 1994-1995 battles between Bill Clinton's White House and Newt Gingrich's House of Representatives. Two caveats: 1) for political junkies only; if you don't eat, breathe and sleep political intrigue, you ain't gonna care; 2) the editor could have done a little better job of smoothing Drew's dry journalistic style into a somewhat more flowing and readable narrative. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good History of the First American Legislature
Lynn Montross' "Reluctant Rebels" is a very good work. One of the few histories on the First American Legislature, it is a worthy addition to any collection of the era. Montross correctly shows how the Continental Congress functioned, it's debates, political battles, and partisan intrigue. What is really nice is that Montross does not share the antipathy towards the Articles of Confederation, and it's unicameral legislature that pervade the American "civil religion" today.

Congress is seen managing foreign affairs, ratifying the 1783 peace treaty, implementing the Articles of Confederation, and passing legislation for foreign policy and affairs. He also includes the personalities, John Adams, Samuel Chase, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson,John Jay, and other less known, but significant figures. Overall a really good history. ... Read more

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Congress at War reviews the historical record of the U.S. Congress in authorizing, funding, overseeing, and terminating major military operations. Refuting arguments that Congress cannot and should not set limits or conditions on the use of U.S. armed forces, this book catalogs the many times when previous Congresses have enacted restrictions--often with the acceptance and compliance of wartime presidents. While Congress has formally declared war only five times in U.S. history, it has authorized the use of force fifteen other times. In recent decades, however, lawmakers have weakened their Constitutional claims by failing on several occasions to enact measures either supporting or opposing military operations ordered by the president.

Concise, dramatically written, and illustrated with several summary tables, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in America's wars--past or present. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A bit dry, but important and brief
Believe it or not, Congress has a role in war.Stevenson, in this short book, reviews American history and points out that Congress has often been involved in all aspects of warfare.From having an impact on strategy, to pushing for war, and to ending war.No one who reads this can argue that Congress does a great job, but then, we can all point to a few recent presidents - and some would say a certain current president - who have done a fine job of screwing things up.Congress's efforts have been spotty and inconsistent to say the least, but precedent DOES establish a much more involved role than most people now recognize.

Though the book is a bit dry, a lot of important information is captured in a few pages, with plenty of useful tables for future reference.

A must read for anyone who thinks about US warfare.

A brief review of "Congress at War"
The Founders knew European history, and they had a good understanding of our human nature.Those extraordinary men who wrote the United States Constitution were aware that many European monarchs had squandered their country's human and material assets in petty and capricious squabbles.To prevent an American President from arbitrarily committing America to war, the drafters wrote, "The Congress shall have Power. . .To declare War. . . ."

Our recent war experience in Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq indicates that the outcome of
war is unpredictable and that wars have unintended and unforeseeable consequences.In our nuclear age, the process that we use to initiate and conduct belligerent action is profoundly important.

Whether you believe that the US should license war by executive fiat or that the US should engage in war only after a carefully deliberated Congressional declaration of war,
"Congress at War" is your guide to the actual U.S. decision making processes used in our previous military engagements.The author also addresses the historical role of the U.S. Congress in financing, conduct, and termination of war.

This brief book will be enlightening to many readers, perhaps even to some historians.

(Note: The reviewer is NOT related to the author of the book.)


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Citizens-to-be and kids alike should understand the privelages and responsibilities of citizenship. Each text presents necessary information about a fundamental part of the U.S. governement in an easy-to-follow format. ... Read more

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Partisan rancor and the public exchange of incivilities among members of Congress have become rampant on Capitol Hill and in the media studios since the 1980s. Polarization between mutually repugnant congressional factions has reached the point that the legislative process is paralyzed and democracy is hobbled. Ahuja documents the rise of incivility and partisan shrillness in Congress, traces its complex causes, identifies its adverse consequences for the functioning of democratic government, and prescribes remedies to curb destructive partisanship and restore dignity and efficiency to the workings of Congress.

Partisan rancor and the public exchange of incivilities between members of Congress have become rampant on Capitol Hill and in the media studios since the 1980s. Polarization between mutually repugnant congressional factions has reached the point that the legislative process is paralyzed and democracy is hobbled. Ahuja documents the rise of incivility and the partisan shrillness in Congress, traces its complex causes, identifies its adverse consequences for the functioning of democratic government, and prescribes remedies to curb destructive partisanship and restore dignity and efficiency to the workings of Congress.

Ahuja catalogs the most shocking examples of the abrasive new confrontational style as practiced by the likes of Gingrich, Burton, and Pelosi in the House, and by Boxer, Santorum, and Lott in the Senate. He contrasts this new style of congressional comportment with the decorum and pragmatism of the old style exemplified by such leaders as Foley, Hamilton, and Michel in the House, and by Dirksen, Mansfield, and Moynihan in the Senate. Ahuja identifies six causes of the rise of partisanship and incivility among congressional members: *Political redistricting and imposition of party discipline. *rising influence of adversarial special-interest groups. *adversarial format fostered by the 24-hour news cycle. *rising use of short-term consultants. *increasing insertion of wedge issues. *avoidance of social interaction among opposing members. The author prescribes measures for restoring civility and moderating partisanship in Congress: reapportioning legislative districts; restricting the influence of consultants, media, and interest groups; and regularizing social interaction among congressional opponents.

Customer Reviews (1)

A plain-spoken examination of a serious problem in American representative democracy
Congress Behaving Badly: The Rise of Partisanship and Incivility and the Death of Public Trust examines a very real problem affecting modern American politics: the rise of partisan rancor and mistrust, as expressed through incivility (or even downright rudeness) on Capitol Hill since the 1980s. Associate Professor of Political Science Sunil Ahuja explores a number of the most shocking examples of this abrasive and hostile style, as engaged in by Gingrich, Burton, and Pelosi in the House, and by Boxer, Santorum, and Lott in the Senate. Contrasting this harsh "new style" of congressional decorum against the more civil "old style" embodied by such leaders as Foley, Hamilton, and Michel in the House, as well as Dirksen, Mansfield, and Moynihan in the Senate, Congress Behaving Badly focuses on six causes of this modern spike in partisanship. Among the culprits are political redistricting and the renewed imposition of party discipline; the increased influence of antagonistic special-interest groups; the adversarial format peddled by 24-hour news cycles; the increased use of short-term consultants; the proliferating use of "wedge issues"; and the decline of social interaction among opposing members. Ahuja proposes measures necessary to restore order and civility to Congress before the hostile fallout inflicts greater damage to the people's trust; his recommendations include the reapportioning of legislative districts; restrictions on the influence of consultants, media, or interest groups; and the regularization of social interaction among congressional opponents. A plain-spoken examination of a serious problem in American representative democracy, highly recommended - especially for anyone serving or considering service in a public office. ... Read more

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In cartoon format, explains the history, role, and responsibilities of Congress in United States government. ... Read more

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Reexamines the immense documentation still extant for the Congress, and judiciously evaluates the Congress's accomplishments and points out its frailties. The book's most distinctive feature is its focus on congressional politics and factions. The author examines the voting patterns and personal and geographical divisions existing in the Continental Congress, uncovering all the elements of a concealed party system taking form as early as 1774. Originally published by McGraw-Hill in 1974. ... Read more

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Two hundred years ago, the Library of Congress--America's oldest national cultural institution--was founded as a small room with 740 books, later adding Thomas Jefferson's personal library.

        Today, the Library of Congress is the largest book palace in the world with nineteen million volumes
in three buildings, and more than ten Web sites. The Library's collections include the papers of twenty-three presidents; manuscripts from Booker T. Washington, Walt Whitman, Irving Berlin, and numerous other eminent Americans; the diaries of Orville and Wilbur Wright. Other treasures include rare books dating as far back as the fifteenth century, maps, movies, television and radio broadcasts, even the earliest known baseball cards.

        Kurt S. Maier has worked at the Library of Congress for over twenty years, in the History and Literature Cataloging Division and as an on-call tour guide. His love for and knowledge of the Library of Congress inspired him to put together this tour in words and pictures. The book is in response to the variety of questions he has been asked while leading visitors through the three Library buildings, twenty reading rooms, and numerous exhibits. An accessible question-and-answer format, highlighted with photos and archival prints throughout, covers a multitude of categories including the Poet Laureates, the Librarians of Congress, the Main Reading Room, Special Divisions such as The Manuscript Division, The Music Division, The Law Library, The Hispanic Division, and so much more.

        THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS is a wonderful way to learn about and celebrate the cultural
heritage of America.
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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR’d book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Bill
Story could have been told in 100 pages or less.Same story over and over again.

Sadly, as timely today as it was in 1988
Political Action Committees were the worst idea in the history of bad ideas.

They have resulted in an unmanageable web of laws designed to benefit international corporations and the very rich. Since the Reagan administration (the most corrupt in American history with a record number of indicted officials during his tenure) decoupled the money supply, and began us down the road to deregulation, a massive redistribution of wealth from the middle class to the very rich has been accelerating.

But the GOP hardly bears all the blame. Although they are the champions of the worst ideas (Legalizing assault weapons, rewriting the history books to educate with a religious/political bias, ignoring climate change, and blocking meaningful energy policy reform) The Democrats are also frequently bought out by special interests ranging from professional organizations and large corporations to indian casinos.

One of my favorite anecdotes in the book revolves around the passage of the Highway Beautification Act. Conceived and intended to limit the proliferation of billboard advertising along America's major highways, it initially enjoyed strong support from both parties. Unable to afford the exertion of major political influence with either party, the Outdoor Advertising Association directly courted the members working on the bill in committee and influenced the language in such a way that, when finally passed, instead of controlling the spread of billboards, it instead basically allowed construction of billboards in most viable locations, but provided a way for the government to PAY the outdoor advertising companies to remove billboards that no longer made money. A similar fate befell the Cable Television Consumer Protection and Competition Act of 1992. Instead of lowering rates and protecting consumers as intended, by the time the bill left committee, cable companies were allowed to curtail previously mandated community access and local interest programming but left with free reign to continue raising rates and higher and higher.

The sad truth is that much of the legislation passed in our country today was actually drafted by political action committees and passed in a nearly finished form to the member for sponsorship in the legislature. This is equally true of both parties. The bills are so dense and convoluted, and presented with so little lead time, that it is difficult if not impossible for representatives to fully read and digest the measures before they are voted on.

Reading this book, in itself, won't solve the problem, but it will lend valuable insight into the underpinnings of how our government is broken and what kind of transparency and accountability we need to demand if we want to turn things around.I recommend it highly.

Brilliant Insight Into Congress and Politicians
Philip Stern has written a wonderfully insightful book about our political system that would be an eye-opener for any American. This fine, articulate journalist speaks from the politicians' point of view and, as you can glean from the title, reveals the misery and constant stress politicians are under to raise funds for their campaigns.We complain about politicans being greedy and preoccupied with fundraising, but after reading this account of the political process you realize the politicians don't like it any more than we do.We learn that they simply have no choice.

The highlights of this book are the details and documentation.Though written twenty years ago, the essence of this book is timeless.The politicians quoted most surely speak for our current lawmakers.We hear remarks from the likes of the late Barry Goldwater, William Proxmire, Bob Dole and other notable politicans who reveal things we would never know had we not read Stern's book.

Stern also lets us hear the other side, the viewpoint of the unions and the Political Action Committee's who wield such power over our system with the almighty dollar, and hence, make up "the best Congress money can buy."

I urge every American to read this book.You will be surprised by the humanity, compassion and also the frustration expressed by the politicians interviewed.They are not our enemies;they are trying to be our allies while expected to raise huge amounts of money to finance their campaigns, leaving far too few hours for their constituents.

This book is out of print, but it is well worth your while to find a used copy. ... Read more

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The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: History / United States / General; History / General; History / Military / World War I; History / United States / General; ... Read more

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Lindsay offers a timely and comprehensive examination of the role the modern Congress plays in foreign policy, and of the ways members use their control of procedure and access to the news media to influence policy matters. ... Read more

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Countering the widespread historical persona of David Crockett as little more than a coonskin-capped, buckskin-clad frontier hero, this remarkable biography chronicles his life in politics, revealing him instead as an inveterate entrepreneur, advocate for the poor, and career politician with a talent for hardball campaigning. Through a careful review of his letters, speeches, and political circulars, this provocative and insightful examination provides a unique, long-ignored perspective on the man behind the legend and corrects inaccurate portrayals perpetuated by previous works, most notably James A. Shackford's landmark 1956 biography. Following his political rise from justice of the peace and magistrate to two-term representative in the Tennessee State Legislature and three-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives, this account fully documents the elections of 1829, 1831, 1833, and 1835 and details the progress of both the Tennessee Land Bill (1829-1830) and the Indian Removal Bill (1830). A truly exceptional volume, this exploration offers an alternative context for one of American history's most important figures and evaluates the political objectives for which he constantly strove."Winner! 2010 Independent Publishers Award for Regional Non-Fiction!" ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

A beautiful volume, an extraordinary addition to the literature
Virtually everyone has heard of Davy Crockett. From Fess Parker, John Wayne, and Billy Bob Thornton, we know all about him, from his humble beginnings to his celebrity fame and death at the Alamo. Heck, we even know how he died. (Just kidding.) But, despite the efforts of biographers James A. Shackford, William C. Davis, and other capable historians, he remains, if not an enigma, then not quite understood. And perhaps no phase of his life is as misinterpreted as his congressional years. In David Crockett in Congress, authors Boylston and Wiener have determined to "retrieve the real Crockett through a careful review" of his congressional and campaign correspondence and speeches "and to correct the inaccurate views of him in earlier works."

If the authors had simply amassed and published "every extant letter and circular of Crockett's and a selection of his speeches" during these years (which they did!), they would have performed an important service. But in their book's Part I, they use those writings and hundreds of other primary and secondary sources to critically record and analyze Crockett's tempestuous legislative career. The Crockett that emerges from the disputes with Jackson, Polk, and their supporters over land, Indian removal, and the Second U.S. Bank, and from his use of celebrity, is a full-fleshed human being and comprehensible politician.I discovered a Crockett who, while often bull-headed, self-defeating, whining, and largely ineffectual, was also intelligent, articulate, crafty, and principled. His famous motto was not just something that sounded good. His determination to do what was best for his constituents, to "go ahead" in support of what he saw as the right, and not to march in lockstep with the most powerful politicians in the land, was outmoded by the Age of Jackson. It was, however, very much in step with what the Founding Fathers, who did not foresee political parties, intended. In his principled, if foolish, courage against all odds, I found a surprisingly more admirable Crockett than the one I thought I already knew.

One minor complaint is that the longest and most footnoted chapter is on the Second Bank of the United States, even though Crockett is largely peripheral to the crisis and disappears from the discussion for extended lengths. In any case, this section serves as an excellent essay on the crisis, precisely because it is so down in the weeds.

In Crockett in Congress, Bright Sky Press has produced a beautiful volume. Oversized at "8.5" x 10.5", it is made of glossy paper, which renders all the more appealing the illustrations, including nine portraits of Crockett painted during his years in Congress.

This is an extraordinary book.It should be read by anyone interested in Crockett and politics during the Age of Jackson.

"The" Book for Crockett Fans and/or Researchers
"David Crockett in Congress", The Rise and Fall of the Poor Man's Friend
By James R. Boylston and Allen J. Wiener
Bright Sky Press
336 pages including index

As a reviewer for Our History Project I have the opportunity to read a lot of historical based books, and conduct interviews with the authors of those I like. Every couple of month or so, I get my hands on a stellar book that stands out from the crowd and it means just a little more than the rest. "David Crockett in Congress" is one of those books.

When I first received the book from the publisher, I wondered how many books they had sent me because of the weight of the package. To my surprise it was just the one, I quickly turned the pages and resigned myself to the upcoming long task of starting this book that was filled from cover to cover with text dotted with a few photos. It truly looked like a reference book and it honestlytook me a week to muster up the courage to start it. I finally opened it and began reading in earnest.

I must admit I have always been a Crockett fan and I was truly shocked when my wife told me it was time for bed. Wow, four hours had just flown by. I have now given you my thoughts before and during this review now let's get to the meat of the book.

A study into the legend, the myth and the man of Davy Crockett was what I was expecting. To learn more about this giant figure of the past.... I did! However, that was only the tip of the iceberg. There is so much here that it would take a novel to recap the highlights. Let me just say you will get a personal look at Crockett and the inner workings of government at a time when we as a nation was really trying to find our way. You will see personal insights of most of the big names in our history such as Jackson, Polk, Clay and Van Buren just to name a small handful of the players here.

The great thing on a study like this is that you are not relying on the authors' take, tale or opinion to draw a conclusion of the book in question. They are continually helped out by the man himself; in his own words. From the stump we see the humor; from the floor we see the strength, leverage, skill and determination. From the letters you will find the true Crockett, his compassion, his vision, his morals and his beliefs. In essence what you get is the legend that you thought you knew, firmly cemented in history as the real deal and a true felling that you knew Davy personally. This book will go down in all time as the best book on Crockett ever written or complied and I can honestly say that this book will be the reference for many future Crockett researchers for generations to come.

The only negative I can find in this book is the Title. I thought it strange reading "David" Crockett, because he has always been "Davy" during my life. Remember what I said in the last paragraph, I know him personally now and you can to, I'll introduce you.So, you can call him by his given name if you want to; it is formally correct; but he will always be Davy to me.

Happy Reading

Craig Anderson
Our History Project

THE MOST IMPORTANT CROCKETT BOOK IN FIFTY YEARS
When this book arrived, I was shocked at the size. I'm not sure how I pictured it, but I wasn't expecting a deluxe hardcover the size of a big city phonebook!

Then I read it, and had still another revelation. You see, folks, this is no ordinary history book. It's a landmark in Crockett literature. Bottom line? This is the most important Crockett book to appear in over fifty years. I know, because aside from a handful of juvenile biographies and storybooks, I've read them all.

Why is it so important? First, it provides a wealth of new scholarship regarding an vital and long overlooked period of Crockett's life. And second, it introduces us to the real David Crockett in a way never before possible - in his own words.

"Wait!" you say. "Didn't Crockett write an autobiography?" Yes he did, sort of. And it's a fine read. But he had help. It's not pure Crockett, and it's not always as factual as historians would like.

That autobiography was published in 1834, and for the next 122 years, biographers just rehashed the same information. James Atkins Shackford changed all that in 1956, with David Crockett: The Man and the Legend, opening up acres of new territory in Crockett's life. Most important of these was Crockett's political career. But while Shackford's work on that period was groundbreaking, it left me wanting more. I kept expecting someone to dig into the original sources Shackford only alluded to and give us the whole story.

That's what James Boylston and Allen Wiener have done, and the result is far more than I'd hoped for. The back half of the book delivers all the poop from those original sources - letters, circulars, newspaper articles, and the congressional record. Much of this stuff is in Crockett's own unvarnished words (complete with lack of punctuation), taking us closer to the real man than we've ever been.

The first half of the book puts that information in context, taking us step-by-step through Crockett's career in Congress. Boylston and Wiener introduce us to all the major players, both friend and foe, and give us a firm grounding in the issues of the day, allowing us to understand what Crockett was up against, and appreciate what his actions revealed about his character.

This is not the Davy we saw on the Disney show. This is the real guy, and we get to know him warts and all. The Crockett that emerges is a different kind of hero, the one hinted at in the book's subtitle. Whatever troubles came his way (and they were many), Crockett never lost sight of his ideals, and truly was "the Poor Man's Friend".

Enlarging an Alamo hero
I first encountered the quietly-humorous David version of the Old Betsy-swinging "King of the Wild Frontier" in Stephen Harrigan's historical novel Gates of the Alamo. The militia colonel's respectability was intriguing. Later I saw it improved upon in William C. Davis' history Three Roads to the Alamo.

This new, voluminous history book, with its collected letters, selected campaign material, and congressional play-by-play,leaves no doubt that the bar-killin' Davy caricature (though Crockett did like to hunt bears and often must to feed his family) was more a creation of his political enemies, a popular satirical play, and an unauthorized and untruthful biography, than his true reputation among his peers.

His letters, despite the misspellings which seem illiterate to us but were common enough even among the educated in his day, make plain his yearning for respectability. And his enduring determination to help the poor of his district, though he seldom was able to. When he did make use of his Davy persona, it was little more than good campaign or business sense, or self-deprecating humor. Though he was ever in debt, he clearly preferred broadcloth to buckskin.

It seems clear now that it was less about Davy swinging Old Betsy than his disciplined militia fighting under General Jackson in the Creek War--years before his Tennessee and congressional political careers--that brought Colonel Crockett to the Alamo, and his steady, and oft-written affection for the common American which kept him there unto the death. It doesn't diminish the Alamo hero at all to discover he was a skilled and progressive politician. It enlarges him.

Congressman Crockett, Before The Alamo
An excerpt from the April 9, 1836 edition of the Niles Weekly Register (Baltimore, Maryland) provides the now famous account of Davy Crockett's arrival in Texas:

"A gentleman from Nacogdoches, in Texas, informs us, that, whilst there, he dined in public with col. Crockett, who had just arrived from Tennessee. The old bear-hunter, on being toasted, made a speech to the Texians, replete with his usual dry humor. He began nearly in this style: "I am told, gentlemen, that, when a stranger, like myself, arrives among you, the first inquiry is - what brought you here? To satisfy your curiosity at once to myself, I will tell you all about it. I was, for some years, a member of congress. In my last canvass, I told the people of my district, that, if they saw fit to re-elect me, I would serve them as faithfully as I had done; but, if not, they might go to h__, and I would go to Texas. I was beaten, gentlemen, and here I am." The roar of applause was like a thunder-burst. [Louisville Journal.

David Crockett died at the Alamo on March 6, 1836, a month and three days before this article finally appeared in the Niles Weekly Register. If you are like me and have always wondered why Crockett would have told the people of his Congressional district back in Tennessee that they might go to hell and he would go to Texas, then you need to read David Crockett in Congress: The Rise and Fall of the Poor Man's Friend.

David Crockett in Congress covers David Crockett's entire political career in the House of Representatives of the United States Congress in great detail. The book is a wonderful sampler of Jacksonian politics of the 1820's and 1830's from the perspective of an Andrew Jackson supporter (Crockett) who becomes disillusioned with Jackson and party politics.

The authors of this book did not just sit in a library and rehash secondary sources about David Crockett once again. They drew their conclusions almost exclusively from primary sources. In fact, Boylston and Wiener not only drew their conclusions from primary sources, such as correspondence, speeches and political circulars; but more than half the content of their book is transcriptions of those primary sources. The inclusion of these transcriptions allows readers to look at each of these documents for themselves to verify the accuracy of Boylston and Weiner's conclusions. I wish more historians were as courageous in this regard. Because of the transcriptions of so many key documents regarding the life of Crockett are now contained in one handy volume, this book is destined to be a valuable resource for researchers studying David Crockett for many years to come.

The book also gives a detailed account of David Crockett's meteoric rise to national celebrity status, something Crockett himself did not seem to understand. In the end, Crockett's fame was no help to him in his final campaign for re-election to Congress.

With Texas Independence Day (March 2) approaching, those wishing to know who David Crockett actually was before he became a hero of the Texas Revolution and later the "King of the Wild Frontier" can't go wrong reading David Crockett: The Rise and Fall of the Poor Man's Friend.Another great history book from Bright Sky Press. K. K. Searle - Texas History Page.

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Product Description
The Library of Congress is the nation's oldest cultural institution and a great repository of both intellectual and cultural treasures.This is the first popular illustrated history of the Library of Congress.It is more than an account of the careers of thirteen men (only one of whom was actually trained as a librarian), this is the story of discovering the great body of knowledge housed in the LOC and how it came to be there.Conaway has written a very accessible cultural history of the Library of Congress, complete with lively illustrations that begin to hint at the richness and diversity of collections available to the public. The LOC's amazingly wide-ranging collections (fire insurance maps, Cold War documents, folk music, Eames Collection of Design, Leonard Bernstein Archives, WPA/FPA photographs, the contents of Lincoln's pockets the night he was assassinated, etc.)are represented in the illustrations.The LOC is a favorite tourist attraction and reference (1 million visitors a year; the Library's website is visited by 1 million users a day). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Good Coffee Table Book
This book presents an interesting overview of 200 years of the Library of Congress."Overview" describes its strengths and its limitations.It does give a sense of the library's place in our nation's historical timeline.It is a worthwhile read along with Presidents: All You Need to Know to see how major events in the Library's history coincide with the tenure of our presidents and major political and economic developments in our history.

It has the strengths of a good coffee table book.It has attractive photographs that provide readers with a feel for the majesty of the Library's architecture and the look and feel of some of its many books and other documents.It can be read in a hit-or-miss fashion, allowing readers to benefit from whatever they have time to read while waiting by the coffee table for a party or dinner date to begin.My favorite "quick nugget" is the anecdote about one of the Librarians of Congress coming across the last contents of Abraham Lincoln's pockets hidden away in a safe, lost and forgotten for decades.Fascinating stuff!

The book disappoints by lacking the more detailed historical treatment you would expect to find on the bookshelf next to your host's coffee table--or on the hallowed shelves of the Library itself.Some of the past Librarians merit greater attention, more analysis of their motives and machinations.The actions of Congress and influential donors of collections could be further connected to concurrent historical events.

My appetite for Library lore was whetted by this offering, but not sated.If you have a similar yearning for more history after reading this book, I highly recommend moving on to Encyclopedia of the Library of Congress: For Congress, The Nation & The World.This book is a particularly good second course if your tastes extend to a detailed description of the current Library, its collections, administrative organization, and staff of experts.Enjoy!

Superb introduction and history of the Library of Congress.
The American Library of Congress holds over 110 million items - many ofthem unique and priceless - and this charts the history of the Library andits holdings, from its initial 740-book collection begun in 1800 to itsmiles of bookshelves today. Vintage photos and illustrations pack apresentation which is a 'must' for any who would understand American bookhistory. ... Read more