Stephen Arnold Douglas

美国Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 147K words
Chapters: 15

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.Stephen Arnold Douglas by William Garrott BrownAuthor: Brown, William Garrott, 1868-1913,Language: English, Class: E300: History: America: Revolution to the Civil War (1783-1861), Release Date: Dec 20, 2008

Editor's review

Stephen Arnold Douglas by William Garrott Brown is a biographical work on the nineteenth-century American statesman Stephen Arnold Douglas, falling within the historical category spanning the American Revolution to the eve of the Civil War. Douglas was a major figure on the antebellum American political stage, and his debates with Lincoln and the controversies over the expansion of slavery are key threads for understanding that period. The book is moderate in length, with a narrative centered on his political career, and serves as an accessible introduction to the political landscape on the eve of the Civil War. Because it was written early, its prose bears the hallmarks of early twentieth-century historical writing: clear narrative but limited notes and contemporary scholarly perspective. Readers may treat it as a starting point on the subject and pair it with more recent general histories for a fuller understanding.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Introductory readers who want to understand antebellum American political figures and historical background
General history enthusiasts interested in American political history and the Lincoln era
Students and self-learners who need English-language original biographical material

Not a good fit for

Professional researchers seeking contemporary scholarly notes and the latest research overviews
Biography readers hoping for detailed psychological portrayal or literary narrative
Complete beginners unfamiliar with nineteenth-century American political issues

Reading tips

Read an overview of the antebellum political background before entering the main text.
While reading, trace a timeline of Douglas's key political events to grasp the overall thread.
After finishing, compare with Lincoln biographies or general histories to contrast different narrative perspectives.

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

Is this book suitable for history beginners?

It can serve as an introductory read, but it is best to have some basic background knowledge of mid-nineteenth-century American politics first. The book focuses on narrating his political career with clear threads, but since it was written early and lacks supplementary notes from contemporary research, beginners should read it alongside a general history.

What English level is needed to read this book?

The original is early twentieth-century English historical writing, with fairly formal but generally plain sentence structures; university-level English reading ability is enough to make progress. When encountering nineteenth-century American political terms, consult reference works or background materials—there is no need to puzzle over every word.

What is the relationship between this book and Lincoln studies?

Douglas's debates with Lincoln and the controversies over the expansion of slavery are important elements of antebellum politics, and this book provides character threads from Douglas's side. Readers can use it as supplementary material for understanding Lincoln's political rival, rather than as Lincoln studies itself.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

美国 Author · 1868 · 1913

William Garrott Brown (1868–1913) was an American historian and essayist. Public information about him is limited, and few details of his life survive; however, the two works held in this collection show that his interests centered on American political history and the study of important political figures. His representative works, Andrew Jackson and Stephen Arnold Douglas, take as their subjects the seventh President of the United States and the prominent nineteenth-century senator respectively, indicating that he was skilled at tracing the course of American politics through the lens of biography. Writing of this kind generally combines factual historical narrative with the portrayal of character, is addressed to general readers, and is clear, plain, and readable in style. Although his output was small and his influence limited, these two biographies remain accessible and useful references for later readers seeking to understand the age of Jackson and Douglas's political activities.