Campaign crossroads : presidential politics in Indiana from Lincoln to Obama

Campaign Crossroads is a look back over the varied, sometimes important, sometimes irrelevant, but always interesting presidential campaign cycles in Indiana's history. By taking in the influences of technology, transportation and communication itself, we see an evolution in the political process that is not only altogether Hoosier, but also altogether American in its quality and importance. Using a narrative, qualitative history approach with a mix of primary and secondary sources, the work examines not only the rhetoric of presidents and presidential hopefuls as they have crossed Indiana, but also the nature of campaigns and their impact on Indiana communities. While Indiana enjoyed the position of being a battleground state for the better part of a century from the 1870s until the 1960s, it has also been ignored, dismissed and on occasion created some of the most unexpected political drama America has to offer. Campaign Crossroads looks back over the varied, sometimes important, sometimes irrelevant, but always interesting presidential campaign cycles in Indiana's history. By taking in the influences of technology, transportation and communication itself, we see an evolution in the political process that is not only altogether Hoosier, but also altogether American in its quality and importance. Using a narrative approach with a mix of primary and secondary sources, the work examines not only the rhetoric of presidents and presidential hopefuls, but also the nature of campaigns and their impact on Indiana communities. While Indiana enjoyed the position of being a battleground state for the better part of a century from the 1870s until the 1960s, it has also been ignored, dismissed, and has on occasion created unexpected political drama. Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1. Era of Expansion and Political Reform, 1816–59 Chapter 2. Civil War and Reconstruction, 1860–79 Chapter 3. The Gilded Age, 1880–99 Chapter 4. The Industrial Revolution, 1900–11 Chapter 5. World War I and the Great Depression, 1912–31 Chapter 6. The New Deal Era and World War II, 1932–45 Chapter 7. The Postwar Era, 1946–59 Chapter 8. The New Frontier and Great Society, 1960–67 Chapter 9. Civil Rights and Vietnam, 1968–71 Chapter 10. The Watergate Era, 1972–79 Chapter 11. The Republication Revolution, 1980–91 Chapter 12. The New Millennium, 1992–2008 Notes Index