Mark R. Cheathem's Blog

Books for Fall 2025

Historical Methods Historical Methods Jim Downs, ed., January 6 and the Politics of History (Univ. of Georgia Press, 2024) ISBN 9780820364049 Michael J. Salevouris and Conal Furay, The Methods and Skills of History: A Practical Guide, 4th ed. (Wiley Blackwell, 2015) ISBN 9781118745441 Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 9th ed. …

Possible Cemetery of People Enslaved by Andrew Jackson Found at The Hermitage

The Andrew Jackson Foundation (AJF) announced yesterday that it believes it has located the site of a cemetery for the African Americans enslaved by Andrew Jackson on the property of his Hermitage plantation.

Disinformation in the 1844 Presidential Campaign

In the middle of the 1844 presidential election, an explosive story that some believed would transform the presidential campaign appeared in the national media. Instead, it turned out to be a piece of disinformation that proved to be far less consequential than if it had been true.

The Whigs Strike Back in Nashville

The week after Democrats met in Nashville in mid-August 1844, Whigs gathered in the same city. As expected from the party that had used cultural politics to its advantage in the 1840 presidential election, Whigs used political symbols extensively. For example, they raised a 200-foot-high liberty pole, a political symbol dating from the American Revolution. …

The 1844 Democratic National Convention

As the 1844 Democratic National Convention was scheduled to begin in Baltimore on Monday, May 27, Henry D. Gilpin wrote to Martin Van Buren, “we are in the midst of the most reckless and desperate system of political intrigue that I have ever witnessed.” Several names were being considered for the party’s presidential nomination. Former …

The Day That Changed the 1844 Presidential Election

In many ways, Saturday, April 27, was the most consequential day in the 1844 presidential election. By the time the sun set, a presumptive presidential aspirant found himself confronting an emerging political issue that significantly threatened his chances of winning the White House, while another had virtually ended his chances of being nominated by his …

Symbolic Violence Against U.S. Presidents

Symbolic violence against U.S. presidents isn't new, but it's also not healthy in today's political climate.

The Significance of the USS Princeton Tragedy

On a cold Wednesday afternoon, as the USS Princeton passed Mount Vernon on its return to Washington, Secretary of the Navy Thomas Gilmer asked for a final demonstration of one of its new guns—the “Peacemaker”—in honor of George Washington. The gun’s breech exploded to the left, killing six men, including Gilmer and Secretary of State …

What I Learned from Writing Who Is James K. Polk?

People sometimes ask me what new things I learned from writing a book. Early in my career, my answers were long, so much so that I came to recognize the glazed-over eyes that were my sign to wrap things up. As a senior scholar (still a label I am finding hard to accept!), I’m still …

The Books That Influenced Who Is James K. Polk?

Every historian is indebted to the scholarship of those who came before them. I provided a lengthy bibliographical essay at the end of Who Is James K. Polk, but I wanted to highlight a few books that were crucial to its structure and arguments. Robert Elder, Calhoun: American Heretic (Basic Books, 2021). Amy S. Greenberg, …