Thirty Years' View

Thomas Hart BentonProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 4.1M words
Chapters: 407

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971, and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today. Thirty Years' View (Vol. 1 of 2) by Thomas Hart Benton. Author: Benton, Thomas Hart, 1782-1858. Language: English. Class: E300: History: America: Revolution to the Civil War (1783-1861). Release Date: Feb 9, 2014

Editor's review

This is the first volume of the memoirs of the American statesman Thomas Hart Benton, recording from a participant's perspective the course of American politics from the early years of the republic to the eve of the Civil War, covering Senate debates, partisan conflict, westward expansion, and the controversy over slavery. Its value lies not in literary quality but in the density of its historical material: Benton stood for years at the center of power, and his pages preserve a wealth of detail about people's words and deeds, parliamentary procedure, and the atmosphere of the age, which can be read against formal histories. The prose carries the flavor of nineteenth-century political writing, and the book is long, crowded with names, and dense with events, demanding considerable historical background from the reader. It is best suited as supplementary reading for thematic study of early American political history; reading selectively by topic or figure is more efficient than reading straight through, and it works best alongside a chronology and an index of persons.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Professional readers studying American political history from the founding to the eve of the Civil War
Historical writers and researchers seeking eyewitness-source material
In-depth readers interested in U.S. Senate politics and partisan conflict
Enthusiasts with strong English reading ability and familiarity with the period

Not a good fit for

Beginners seeking a quick overview of American history
General casual readers who prefer smooth narrative and concentrated plot
Readers with limited English reading stamina who are unfamiliar with nineteenth-century political prose

Reading tips

Begin with the table of contents and chapter summaries, choose figures or issues of interest, and read selectively by topic rather than page by page.
Prepare a chronology and a list of persons, and check major events against the timeline as you read to reduce confusion over names and factions.
Read alongside a general history: use the memoir for detail and the general history to calibrate stance and fact.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Can I understand this book without any background in American history?

It is quite difficult. The many figures, factions, and parliamentary procedures assume prior knowledge, and without a general historical framework it is easy to get lost. Read a general history of America from the founding to the eve of the Civil War first to establish a timeline and a family tree of major figures; otherwise reading efficiency will be very low.

Where does the historical value of this memoir lie?

The author served long in the Senate and witnessed many major political debates and decisions, and the book preserves on-the-spot detail about people's words and deeds, parliamentary procedure, and the atmosphere of the age. Such eyewitness records complement formal histories, but note that the author holds clear political positions, so they should be checked against other sources.

Should I read it straight through or selectively?

Selective reading is preferable. The book is long and dense with events, and reading it straight through easily becomes tiring. Use the table of contents to identify issues of interest, such as westward expansion, party struggle, or the slavery controversy, then read the relevant chapters with a chronology and index of persons at hand.

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About the author

Thomas Hart Benton Author · American · 1782–1858

Thomas Hart Benton (1782–1858) was an American writer and Democratic Party leader who served as a U.S. Senator from Missouri from 1821 to 1851. Representing the interests of farmers and supporting westward expansion, he was President Jackson's chief spokesman in the Senate and was nicknamed "Old Bullion." In his later years he lost his Senate seat over his opposition to the expansion of slavery into the territories, and he served in the House of Representatives from 1853 to 1855. He wrote the memoir Thirty Years' View (1854–1856) and delivered a famous 1837 speech on expunging the resolution censuring Jackson. Three of his works are held here, mostly political writings and memoirs that display his strengths in oratory and political debate.