Strict codes of conduct marked the relationships of early American politicians, often leading to duels, brawls, and other—sometimes fatal—violence.
Fistfights broke out in Congress in 1850 over whether the territories just won in the Mexican War should be slave or free—and only a last-minute series of compromises prevented catastrophe
With his usual furious vigor, Andrew Jackson posed a question that continues to trouble us to this day
You Asked for It
The urge to create literature was as strong in the mid-1800s as it is today, but rejections were brutal and the pay was even worse
And in doing so, the fate of Congress—will it be weak? will it be strong?—is determined
Martin Van Buren, Andrew Jackson’s right-hand man, was a master of political intrigue who let nothing block his one unwavering ambition—the Presidency. But sometimes he was too smart for his own good
Was the old South solidly for slavery and secession? An eminent historian disputes a long-cherished view of that region’s history
At Ghent five Americans—divided and far from home—held firm for a treaty that won their nation new respect, and began a lasting alliance