Broken Glass

M. Belohlavek John

Description

One of the most colorful, controversial, and misunderstood public figures of the 19th century"The most hated man in New England,"as critics dubbed him on the eve of the Civil War, Caleb Cushing, brash and controversial, was perhaps the last of 19th-century America's renaissance figures. Poet and politician, essayist and diplomat, general and lawyer, this multidimensional scion of a Newburyport, Massachusetts, mercantile family moved in and out of positions of power and influence for more than fifty years.First as a spokesman for the Whig and then the Democratic Parties, Cushing served in Congress, as the minister to China, as a general in the Mexican War, as U.S. attorney general, and as a legal adviser and diplomatic operative for Presidents Lincoln, Johnson, and Grant. With an unharnessed mind and probing intellect, Cushing inspired and infuriated contemporaries with his strident views on such topics as race relations and gender roles, national expansion and the legitimacy of secession. While his positions generated arguments and garnered enemies, his views often mirrored those of many Americans. His abilities and talents sustained him in public service and made him one of the most outstanding and fascinating figures of the era.Biographer John Belohlavek delivers a work of importance and originality to specialists in the areas of mid-nineteenth-century political, legal, and diplomatic history as well as to those interested in New England history, antebellum gender relations, civil-military relations, and Mexican War studies.

Sujets

• Guerre de Sécession
• États-Unis
• American Civil War
• History of the Americas
• United States of America
• USA
• Histoire

Informations

• Publié par: The Kent State University Press
• Date de parution: 22 novembre 2001
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781612774466
• Langue: English

Extrait

BROKEN GLASS
Civil War in the North
Series Editor, Lesley J. Gordon, University of Akron
Advisory Board
William Blair, Pennsylvania State University
Peter S. Carmichael, University of North Carolina Greensboro
Stephen D. Engle, Florida Atlantic University
J. Matthew Gallman, University of Florida
Elizabeth Leonard, Colby College
Elizabeth Varon, Temple University
Joan Waugh, University of California Los Angeles
BROKEN GLASS
Caleb Cushing the Shattering of the Union
John M. Belohlavek
The Kent State University Press, Kent, Ohio
To my family, friends, and colleagues
For your constant support and encouragement




2005 by The Kent State University Press, Kent, Ohio 44242
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 2005015651
ISBN 978-0-87338-841-2
Manufactured in the United States of America
09 08 07 06 05 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Belohlavek, John M.
Broken glass : Caleb Cushing and the shattering of the Union / John M. Belohlavek.
p. cm.-(Civil War in the North)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN -13: 978-0-87338-841-2 (pbk. : alk. paper)
ISBN -10: 0-87338-841-0 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Cushing, Caleb, 1800-1879. 2. Legislators-United States-Biography. 3. United States. Congress. House-Biography. 4. Politicians-Massachusetts-Biography. 5. Massachusetts-Politics and government-1775-1865. 6. United States-Politics and government-1815-1861. 7. Mexican War, 1846-1848-Biography. 8. Diplomats-United States-Biography. 9. Diplomats-China-Biography. 10. Attorneys general-United States-Biography. I. Title. II. Series.
E 415.9. C 98 B 195 2005
973.5 092-dc22
[B] 2005015651
British Library Cataloging-in-Publication data are available.
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1 The View from High Street, 1800-1826
2 Foreign Adventures and Congressional Ventures, 1827-1834
3 Whig Star Rising: The Politics of Antislavery, 1835-1837
4 Battling the British Lion and the American Fox, 1837-1840
5 Tyler and the Corporal s Guard, 1841-1843
6 The Road to China, 1843-1844
7 The Warrior of Manifest Destiny, 1845-1848
8 The Doughface Democrat, 1848-1853
9 The Power Broker: Attorney General, 1853-1857
10 The Most Unpopular Man in New England, 1857-1861
11 From Massachusetts Exile to Washington Insider, 1861-1869
12 The Diplomat Reemerges, 1869-1879
Conclusions
Notes
Bibliography
Index
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
LIKE MOST of my colleagues who have dedicated a quarter-century of our lives to the study of American history, I have stumbled across a wide variety of fascinating characters-both the colleagues and the historical personages. The nineteenth century is particularly colorful, offering a never-ending supply of individuals who contributed in ways large and small to making the United States the liberal democracy and world power it has become. One such individual, the somewhat opaque Caleb Cushing, appeared repeatedly on the historical stage and in ways that seemed to matter. Why then, the question arose, is there no scholarly biography of someone who had spent virtually an entire life in public service? Academics, including my friends and associates, admitted his importance but dismissed him with a back of the hand as a party-switching pariah. (In my state, Florida, however, such movement is certainly not regarded as sinful or proven to be politically fatal.) What some historians deem opportunistic or unprincipled, others see as flexible or compromising. Surely then, Cushing deserved further investigation.
My study of the controversial New Englander began more than a decade ago, only to be interrupted by a challenging, but rewarding, administrative stint. While the time lost delayed the publication of this volume, the advantages garnered by advancing research technology more than compensated. Even so, extended visits were necessary to the Library of Congress (home to the core of the voluminous Cushing papers) and the Historical Society of Old Newbury in Massachusetts. The recently retired John McDonough, himself an expert on the Cushing documents, contributed mightily to my initial research at the LC. Although McDonough will be missed, the torch has been picked up by a very able, helpful, and cooperative staff. While the Library of Congress was familiar research turf, Newburyport was not. Information on Cushing appeared in local nooks-the Public Library and the Customs House Museum-where dedicated staff members aided this study by pointing out unanticipated collections and nuggets of information. Even more rewarding was the welcome contact with the talented staff of the Cushing House, Jay Williamson and Nancy Thurlow, and the very able directors and docents, led by the unflappable Mae Atkinson. The Cushing House is a jewel, and these individuals reflect a real commitment and demonstrate the true potential of local history. I owe them a debt of gratitude not only for the access to their Cushing collection but for their ongoing hospitality and cooperation in resolving issues large and small on this project.
Cushing papers are also housed in numerous other libraries, and I would be remiss in not thanking the staffs at the Peabody-Essex Museum, Duke University, the University of Virginia, and Stanford University (with special appreciation to Steve Andrews) for their professionalism and assistance in providing materials either personally or by copy.
Biographers need talented but tough critics. This volume had the good fortune to benefit from the critical pens of scholars who contributed mightily in terms of style, grammar, context, and content. Paul Bergeron (the Ragin Cajun ), David Morgan, Gary Mormino, and Roger Trask read a lengthy manuscript in its entirety, and Paul Dosal, Nat Jobe, David Kennedy, Harvey Nelsen, and Jason Vickers made equally important contributions by sharing their views on particular chapters. Their expertise undoubtedly improved the quality of this work and saved the author from those dreaded moments of embarrassment. Regrettably, I can not blame them for any problems or errors in fact or interpretation that remain.
Finally, my family, friends, and colleagues deserve special mention. They have endured my prolonged visit with Caleb Cushing and suffered (generally politely) through interminable Cushing anecdotes. My wife, Susan, applied the right amounts of affection, patience, and understanding to see this historian through his lonely quest; and my sister, Judy, encouraging and helpful, maintained her steady support from her outpost in New England. Kathy and Ray Arsenault, Lynne and Gary Mormino, Joyce Haines, and Earl Whitlock cared enough to make the pilgrimage to Newburyport in search of Caleb. The lobster, fried clams, and good times were bonuses.
Through the years, at conferences and conventions over coffee or bourbon, friends and colleagues have expressed their interest and good-naturedly offered advice and support for this project. While the historical vehicle can only have one driver, it has been with pleasure and gratitude that so many caring people have been along for the ride. This volume is dedicated to you as a small token of my thanks for that ongoing friendship.
INTRODUCTION
IN A NEIGHBORHOOD of expansive Victorian homes, the three-story, Federal brick mansion appears almost out of place-older, more venerable in shape and style. Its stately, shuttered elegance commands our respect, perhaps for its sense of permanence or the notion of the historical secrets that rest within its walls. The address: 98 High Street, Newburyport, Massachusetts, once the home of Caleb Cushing. A quick step through the side door immediately places the visitor into the early nineteenth century, surrounded by paintings, furniture, and artifacts that reflect a bygone New England. The hardwood floors and flowered wallpaper of the unpretentious public rooms suggest a gentility that undoubtedly mirrored the wealth and taste of the inhabitants. The private areas stir warmer emotions of family, community, and citizenship. Twisting stairways and backdoors hint at childhood mystery. The manse seduces and satisfies. Is the appeal in the obvious grace and sophistication that bespeak the entire home inside and out? Or does the structure intrigue by the surprising array of endless rooms-each with its own story to tell? Is the lure in the whole or the sum of the parts? So, too, with Caleb Cushing himself. How can he be best understood? Should we find greater value in the whole -the expansive and visible accomplishments of the public servant whose life and activities paralleled the transformation of New England and the nation? Or is it more rewarding to study the parts -the dazzling and compartmentalized mind of the private man whose erudite and perplexing speeches and writings earned him both widespread acclaim and censure? Such is the challenge and appeal for the biographer.
Historical biography remains a controversial and vexatious element of contemporary literature. Postmodernist scholars, joined by those who view biography as elitist, often disdain the approach, especially when the subject is a dead white male. Historians revel in the debate over whether truth can be found, especially in individual diaries and letters, and whether such an investigation is tainted by the very nature of the material. Simultaneously, the public devours biography for the drama and intrigue, passion and humanity offered in the life of one individual. Bookstores sell millions of volumes on John Adams, Martin Luther King Jr., Lyndon Baines Johnson, or Edna St. Vincent Millay and each year a Pulitzer Prize is awarded for the most outstanding biography. This disconnect between academic and public tastes has been bridged by those biographers who have complemented life and times studies with more inclusive and interdisciplinary works sensitive to race and gender issues, for example, books on Jackie Robinson or Eleanor Ro