- 256 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
See How They Ran
About this book
See How They Ran explores why candidates campaign as they do, why Americans complain about it, and what these evolving patterns and changing images tell us about American democracy itself. On the eve of every election, many Americans become convinced that this presidential campaign is worse than it has ever been. Frustrated, we long for the good old days of dignified campaigns and worthy candidates. However, as Gil Troy's fascinating history demonstrates, they never existed.Originally, candidates did not run for office, but awaited the people's call in dignified silence. When Stephen Douglas campaigned in 1860, he pretended to be visiting his mother as he traveled, not actively campaigning. In the post-1945 world, however, both Democratic and Republican candidates have stopped to kiss babies, donned hard hats, and pumped hands along the campaign trails. From the founding of our nation, Americans have wanted a leader who is simultaneously a man of the people and a man above the people.In See How They Ran, Troy shows that our disappointment with current presidential campaigns is simply the latest chapter in a centuries-long struggle to make peace with the idea of leadership in a democratic society. This is an engrossing and essential read.
Frequently asked questions
- Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
- Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Dedication
- Preface
- Prologue: “What Has America Done to Deserve This?”
- Chapter 1: Standing for Office in an Age of Virtue
- Chapter 2: To Stand or to Stump?
- Chapter 3: An Age of Parties, 1848–1856
- Chapter 4: Passive Winners and Active Losers
- Chapter 5: The Front Porch or the Stump? 1880–1896
- Chapter 6: The “Old-Fashioned” Campaign Trail
- Chapter 7: Reluctant Runners, 1916–1928
- Chapter 8: The President as Campaigner
- Chapter 9: Televising the President, 1948–1964
- Chapter 10: A Cross-Country Marathon
- Chapter 11: The Search for Virtue in the Presidential Campaign
- Photographs
- Appendix A. Electoral and Popular Votes for Major Presidential Contenders, 1789–1988
- Appendix B. Newspapers, Radio, and Television in the United States, 1790–1990
- Manuscript Collections Cited
- A Guide to Abbreviations in Notes
- Notes
- An Essay on Sources
- Index
- Copyright