Embracing Dissent: Political Violence and Party Development in the United States (American Governance: Politics, Policy, and Public Law)

"A smart, thoughtful, and interesting book, full of insightful details and empirical findings. Jeffrey S. Selinger moves between American political development and American political thought with ease and intelligence at every turn."Paul Frymer, Princeton University "This fine book draws attention to an overlooked problem in the study of the historical development of political parties; namely, that the nature of parties turns in part on the nature of political divisions. Jeffrey Selinger argues persuasively that parties took on greater legitimacy as they came to be perceived as less of a threat of domestic violence or divisionindeed, that developing the capacity to stop the threat of partisan violence was itself a developmental project."Daniel Klinghard, College of the Holy Cross While the American founders fully expected parties to form in a free society, they were far less certain that opposing parties would peacefully transfer power from one to another. Party formation presented a confounding problem for the new republic: party rivalries could not be prevented, but they might, nonetheless, catalyze civil disorder or fracture the union of the states. The status of political parties has come a long way in American society and politics, however, and today American democracy is inconceivable without them. How did party competition become a regular and "normal" feature of the American political landscape? Why did American political leaders, who viewed such rivalry as a harbinger of the new republic's destruction, come to terms with party opposition? Embracing Dissent tells this story of political transformation, making the case that the status of party gained ground as the notion that party competition might instigate class violence, secession, or civil war, receded. From the American founding and the appearance of the Jacksonian Democratic party, to Lincoln's management of party politics during the Civil War, Jeffrey S. Selinger presents a careful reconsideration of American political development. Embracing Dissent also provides historical perspective on today's polarized political condition. Too often, pundits exaggerate the significance of partisan differences and minimize the depth of political consensus that permeates American politics. Political observers casually use expressions like "party conflict," forgetting, as the famed political scientist Giovanni Sartori noted, that public consensus on fundamental legal and constitutional norms makes party competition "something less than conflict, as we endlessly if often too late rediscover whenever we are confronted with the reality of a people shooting at each other." Embracing Dissent reminds readers of the long history of Americans "shooting at each other," and describes the political events that disarmed them. Jeffrey S. Selinger teaches government at Bowdoin College.

While the American founders fully expected parties to form in a free society, they were far less certain that opposing parties would peacefully transfer power from one to another. Party formation presented a confounding problem for the new republic: party rivalries could not be prevented, but they might, nonetheless, catalyze civil disorder or fracture the union of the states. The status of political parties has come a long way in American society and politics, however, and today American democracy is inconceivable without them.

How did party competition become a regular and "normal" feature of the American political landscape? Why did American political leaders, who viewed such rivalry as a harbinger of the new republic's destruction, come to terms with party opposition? Embracing Dissent tells this story of political transformation, making the case that the status of party gained ground as the notion that party competition might instigate class violence, secession, or civil war, receded. From the American founding and the appearance of the Jacksonian Democratic party, to Lincoln's management of party politics during the Civil War, Jeffrey S. Selinger presents a careful reconsideration of American political development.

Embracing Dissent also provides historical perspective on today's polarized political condition. Too often, pundits exaggerate the significance of partisan differences and minimize the depth of political consensus that permeates American politics. Political observers casually use expressions like "party conflict," forgetting, as the famed political scientist Giovanni Sartori noted, that public consensus on fundamental legal and constitutional norms makes party competition "something less than conflict, as we endlessly if often too late rediscover whenever we are confronted with the reality of a people shooting at each other." Embracing Dissent reminds readers of the long history of Americans "shooting at each other" and describes the political events that disarmed them.

While the American founders fully expected parties to form in a free society, they were far less certain that opposing parties would peacefully transfer power from one to another. Party formation presented a confounding problem for the new republic: party rivalries could not be prevented, but they might, nonetheless, catalyze civil disorder or fracture the union of the states. The status of political parties has come a long way in American society and politics, however, and today American democracy is inconceivable without them. __Embracing Dissent__ also provides historical perspective on today's polarized political condition. Too often, pundits exaggerate the significance of partisan differences and minimize the depth of political consensus that permeates American politics. Political observers casually use expressions like "party conflict," forgetting, as the famed political scientist Giovanni Sartori noted, that public consensus on fundamental legal and constitutional norms makes party competition "something __less than conflict__, as we endlessly if often too late rediscover whenever we are confronted with the reality of a people shooting at each other." __Embracing Dissent__ reminds readers of the long history of Americans "shooting at each other" and describes the political events that disarmed them. Cover 1 Contents 8 Chapter 1. Legitimate Party Opposition and the Early American State 10 Chapter 2. Economic Collapse and the Constitutional Construction of Party Politics 37 Chapter 3. The French Revolutionary Wars and the Ordeal of America’s First Party System 63 Chapter 4. The Second Party System and the Politics of Displacing Conflict 92 Chapter 5. Union, Emancipation, and Party Building as Military Strategy 118 Chapter 6. Redrawing the Limits of Legitimate Party Opposition: Party Politics and Its Discontents at the Turn of the Twentieth Century 144 Epilogue. Party Legitimacy, Then and Now 176 Notes 190 Index 254 A 254 B 254 C 254 D 255 E 255 F 256 G 256 H 256 I 257 J 257 K 257 L 257 M 257 N 258 O 258 P 258 R 259 S 259 T 260 U 261 V 261 W 261 X 261 Acknowledgments 262 "How did party competition become a regular and "normal" feature of the American political landscape? Why did American political leaders, who viewed such rivalry as a harbinger of the new republic's destruction, come to terms with party opposition? Enbracing Dissent tells this story of political transformation, making the case that the status of party gained ground as the notion that party competition might instigate class violence, secession, or civil war, receded. From the American founding and the appearance of the Jacksonian Democratic party to Lincoln's management of party politics during the Civil War, Jeffrey S. Selinger presents a careful reconsideration of American political development"--Jacket How did party opposition become a regular and "normal" feature of the American political landscape? Jeffrey S. Selinger tells a story of political transformation in the United States and offers a much-needed historical perspective on the challenges of governance in a polarized nation.