Political Recollections / 1840 to 1872

A firsthand political memoir traces the rise and organization of anti-slavery politics in the United States from the mid-nineteenth century through Reconstruction, combining campaign narratives, congressional recollections, and party-formation episodes. The author recounts presidential contests, sectional debates, judicial and legislative crises, and the emergence of new political alignments, interweaving personal involvement, meetings, conventions, and encounters with prominent figures. Chapters examine wartime policies, legislative measures, and the postwar struggle over reconstruction and civil rights, aiming to preserve factual recollections and interpretive impressions from an engaged participant's viewpoint.