America 1844

September 1, 2014
Bicknell’s consideration of this watershed in American history is solid, although he relies too much on research of other scholars. Bicknell excels in bringing to life political figures such as Sen. Henry Clay and President James K. Polk. In addition to exploring deep-rooted issues of religious turmoil and westward expansion, Bicknell closely considers 1844’s great problem: the future of Texas. The territory’s annexation, the resulting war with Mexico, and, eventually, the Civil War were set in motion by Polk’s election to the presidency that year. As the title suggests, Bicknell’s work concentrates on the events of a single calendar year, which is inherently problematic—historical trends and occurrences rarely fit within the confines of an arbitrary time frame. Unfortunately, at no point in this breezy text does Bicknell justify his central claim that the 1844 election “transformed the nation” or explain how exactly it might have done so. That said, Bicknell’s brisk work is still an accessible and informative take on antebellum American politics. Agent: Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.

October 15, 2014
Longtime political journalist Bicknell (co-editor: Politics in America 2012, 2011) presents a diverting snapshot of America in 1844. It was a time of great enthusiasms, some good, some not. Philadelphia was rocked twice by nativist riots against Irish Catholics. The followers of William Miller prepared to welcome Christ's return to Earth, first in March, then in October, with disappointing results. John C. Fremont returned from an exploratory mission to Oregon and California as parties of settlers headed West from Missouri; Bicknell follows one of these, chronicling one family's tribulations on the journey. Political passions raged in this presidential election year, particularly over the proposed annexation of the Republic of Texas, an issue that provoked controversies over the territorial expansion of slavery and the likelihood of war with Mexico. The Whigs chose Henry Clay as their nominee, replacing the unpopular incumbent John Tyler; Clay proceeded to shoot himself in the foot repeatedly with ill-conceived statements fudging his position on Texas. The pro-annexation dark horse James K. Polk emerged with the Democrats' nomination after a protracted convention battle reported in real time over Morse's new telegraph. The Mormon prophet Joseph Smith was also a candidate but was murdered by a mob in jail. Bicknell tells all these stories and more with enthusiasm, exceptional narrative skills and sound historical judgment. Ultimately, however, the events of this rather ordinary year never cohere into a thematic whole, a sense that the events unique to 1844 really made much of a difference. The problems of the Millerites and Mormons affected only a few, and resolution of the Texas issue was deferred to another day. While a Clay presidency would have taken the country down a very different path, Bicknell concedes that Polk's victory did not result from a decisive turning point in national attitudes but happened largely because Clay just wasn't a very good candidate. An entertaining account of a single year of unexceptional significance.

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November 1, 2014
By the mid-1840s, the U.S. was plagued by multiple divisive controversies that went beyond the chronic dispute over the institution of slavery, although slavery was interwoven into some of these other disputes. These included arguments over the annexation of Texas, further territorial expansion, and rising violence against Catholics and Mormons. Bicknell tries to coalesce these and other issues into a single, decisive year: that in which Henry Clay contested James Polk for the presidency. This is a fast-moving, easily digestible account of that year, and Bicknell does a fine job of explaining the issues, the personalities, and the shifting political trends that made the period tumultuous. Bicknell offers interesting vignettes with insights into the principal players, including Polk, Clay (a surprisingly weak candidate), the doomed prophet Joseph Smith, and the preacher William Miller, who urged thousands of followers to await the imminent return of Christ. Many historians will justifiably reject this effort to label this particular year as a historical game changer, but Bicknell does provide a useful portrait of the antebellum nation that is aimed at general readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)