Presidents versus senators : conflicts and rivalries that shaped America / F. Martin Harmon.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Harmon, F. Martin, 1951- author.

Contributor:

Sylvia W. Kauders Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Congress. Senate.

Executive-legislative relations--United States.

Executive-legislative relations.

Presidents--United States--History.

Presidents.

History.

Legislators.

United States.

Legislators--United States--History.

Politics and government.

United States. Congress. Senate--History.

United States--Politics and government.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

viii, 295 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Jefferson, North Carolina : McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, [2021]

Summary:

"Landmark political confrontations between sitting presidents and powerful senators have occurred throughout American history--some have shaped the nation. This book takes an in-depth look at seven of those major "Washington wars," including the personal rivalries that spawned each one, the strategies and events that transpired as a result, and the aftermaths and impacts on the country. Neither compromise nor surrender were considered in these intense debates, which left scars on the national psyche. Each episode could be worthy of a historical narrative all its own but considered together they illustrate the long and bitter history of democratic warfare between the leaders and branches of government at either end of Pennsylvania Avenue"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: Section One Battle Over the Bank: Andrew Jackson vs. Henry Clay

1. Setting the Stage with Campaign Strategy

2. Chronological Review of a Political Gamble

3. The Ensuing Expansion of Presidential Power

Section Two The Bleeding Kansas Fight: James Buchanan vs. Stephen Douglas

4. Breakdown of the Jacksonian Democrats

5. Lack of Leadership Amidst Drift to Disunion

6. Lincoln, Civil War and Republican Rule

Section Three The Reconstruction Conflict: Andrew Johnson vs. Charles Sumner

7. Political Opposites on a Collision Course

8. The Rage Over Southern Reconstruction

9. "Glorious Failure" or What Might Have Been

Section Four Crusade for the League: Woodrow Wilson vs. Henry Cabot Lodge

10. Political Enemies on a Collision Course

11. The Ammunition of Lasting Animosity

12. One-and-Done and Back to Normal

Section Five Surviving the Red Menace: Harry Truman vs. Joseph McCarthy

13. The Cold War Launch of a Red Hot Demagogue

14. Turning the Other Cheek in a No-Win War

15. From Fearmongering to Covert Action

Section Six Civil Rights or Segregation: Lyndon Johnson vs. Richard Russell

16. Anatomy of an Impending Political Breakup

17. The End of Debate; the Start of Equality

18. Personal Legacy Waylaid by Foreign Escalation

Section Seven The Canal Giveaway: Jimmy Carter vs. Paul Laxalt

19. From "Perpetuity" to "Inviting Disaster"

20. Reversing Course into a Proxy War

21. The Diminishing Returns of Global Leadership.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Sylvia W. Kauders Fund.

ISBN:

9781476683140

147668314X

OCLC:

1247843739

Publisher Number:

99988814925