Horace Greeley: Print, Politics, and the Failure of American Nationhood

by James M. Lundberg

The founder and editor of the New-York Tribune, Horace Greeley was the most significant―and polarizing―American journalist of the nineteenth century. To the farmers and tradesmen of the rural North, the Tribune was akin to holy writ. To just about everyone else―Democrats, southerners, and a good many Whig and Republican political allies―Greeley was a shape-shifting menace: an abolitionist fanatic; a disappointing conservative; a terrible liar; a power-hungry megalomaniac.

In Horace Greeley, James M. Lundberg revisits this long-misunderstood figure, known mostly for his wild inconsistencies and irrepressible political ambitions. Charting Greeley's rise and eventual fall, Lundberg mines an extensive newspaper archive to place Greeley and his Tribune at the center of the struggle to realize an elusive American national consensus in a tumultuous age. Emerging from the jangling culture and politics of Jacksonian America, Lundberg writes, Greeley sought to define a mode of journalism that could uplift the citizenry and unite the nation. But in the decades before the Civil War, he found slavery and the crisis of American expansion standing in the way of his vision.

Speaking for the anti-slavery North and emerging Republican Party, Greeley rose to the height of his powers in the 1850s―but as a voice of sectional conflict, not national unity. By turns a war hawk and peace-seeker, champion of emancipation and sentimental reconciliationist, Greeley never quite had the measure of the world wrought by the Civil War. His 1872 run for president on a platform of reunion and amnesty toward the South made him a laughingstock―albeit one who ultimately laid the groundwork for national reconciliation and the betrayal of the Civil War's emancipatory promise.

Lively and engaging, Lundberg reanimates this towering figure for modern readers. Tracing Greeley's twists and turns, this book tells a larger story about print, politics, and the failures of American nationalism in the nineteenth century.

Genres: American History

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 14, 2020

About the author

A specialist in the cultural and intellectual history of 19th-century America, Jake Lundberg is assistant professor of history at the University of Notre Dame.

Reviews

[David Kent · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short book is dense with information about one of America's most well-known newspapermen. Alternatively egomaniacal and visionary, Greeley's influence on public opinion before, during, and after the Civil War is perhaps unmatched. Author James Lundberg goes beyond a mere biography of the man, he presents insightful analysis of Greeley's vision, his influence, and his often annoying ability to change position, boggling the minds of friend and foe alike. Lundberg gives us an in-depth understanding of the issues that drove Greeley and the country, including his vision of an America united, a vision not accomplished then, or since.

[Kerrin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Generally well written. However, the author's contention that Greeley was a racist because he favored gradual voting rights for black citizens (viewing them as uneducated second class citizens) is preposterous. That was an entirely progressive view for even Republicans to have in the late 1800s. Everyone outside of Radical Republicans tended to echo those sentiments, including Lincoln. This is racist in our timeline, not in the context of that period.

The book also completely glosses over the 1872 election (details please?), Reconstruction corruption, and the corrupt Grant administration to give context to why Greeley and other opponents of the Radical Republicans favored different policies than what was going on in the South at the time.

2.5/5 stars.

[cariniverse · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember how sad I felt when he died(at the end of the book). It's rare to see a man so devoted to ONE career throughout his entire life, which is the press; it's also rare to see how he raise as a grassroots figure (that is unique to us culture). He ran/found his day's equivalence of New York Time(aka New York Tribune). I would argue about his lack of political intelligence but who can possibly beat Ulysses S. Grant.




For Concord Review

Also, questions remained:

What leads to Horace Greeley’s failure in 1872 presidential convention?

1. How did Horace Greeley's background and political beliefs influence his decision to run for president in the 1872 election?

2. What were the major political issues and controversies surrounding the 1872 Democratic National Convention, and how did they impact the nomination of Horace Greeley as the Democratic candidate?

3. How did the Liberal Republican movement emerge, and what role did Horace Greeley play in its formation leading up to the 1872 convention?

4. Analyze the key factions within the Liberal Republican Party during the 1872 convention and the challenges they faced in unifying behind Greeley's candidacy.

5. To what extent did Horace Greeley's position on Reconstruction policies impact his appeal to different voter groups during the 1872 election?

6. Investigate the role of the media during the 1872 campaign and the coverage of Horace Greeley's candidacy by various newspapers and publications.

7. What was the significance of the Cincinnati Platform adopted at the 1872 convention, and how did it reflect the broader political climate of the time?

8. Explore the reaction of prominent Republicans and Democrats to Horace Greeley's candidacy, both within their parties and in the broader political landscape.

9. Analyze the impact of the 1872 election and the campaign of Horace Greeley on the future of the Liberal Republican movement and its influence on subsequent political developments.

10. How did the outcome of the 1872 election and Horace Greeley's candidacy contribute to shaping the Republican and Democratic parties' strategies and platforms in the following years?

[Breezy · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting figure, and seemingly a foundational one when examining the trajectory of media’s growth, increased scope, and political impact. Well researched, well written, concise and complete. Bravo