A Magnificent Catastrophe
The Tumultuous Election of 1800, America's First Presidential Campaign
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Narrated by:
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John Dossett
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By:
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Edward J. Larson
About this listen
George Washington had been a non-contested favorite for president and had never campaigned for the job. In 1796, the first election after Washington announced he would not run for a third term, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson squared off as the leading contenders, but carried on Washington's tradition of not actively campaigning. Adams beat Jefferson by just three electoral votes, and the stage was set for viscious battle next time. In the 1800 rematch between Adams and Jefferson, and the newly forming parties that each represented, the gloves came off with both sides launching into hard-core campaiging for the first time.
All the tricks and tactics of partisan warfare that have become the hallmark of American elections were born. Before this election, the parties were merely informal networks and presidential administrations were bipartisan; after this election, the two-party system had been set in stone and all of the regrettable effects of bitter partisanship the Founders had warned of, and tried so hard to fend off, had been set in motion. This election shaped all future lines of battle in American politics.
The audiobook tells the story of that tumultuous, year-long campaign, vividly conveying the heady and overheated spirit of the times and bringing the personalities of the leading players vividly to life.
©2007 Edward J. Larson (P)2007 Simon and Schuster Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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- Lincoln's Vital Rival
- By: Walter Stahr
- Narrated by: Timothy Andrés Pabon
- Length: 27 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Salmon P. Chase is best remembered as a rival of Lincoln’s for the Republican nomination in 1860—but there would not have been a national Republican Party, and Lincoln could not have won the presidency, were it not for the groundwork Chase laid over the previous two decades. Starting in the early 1840s, long before Lincoln was speaking out against slavery, Chase was forming and leading antislavery parties. He represented fugitive slaves so often in his law practice that he was known as the attorney general for runaway negroes.
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Very inspiring and insightful
- By Mike Haverty on 06-20-23
By: Walter Stahr
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The Return of George Washington: 1783-1789
- By: Edward Larson
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Although Washington is often overlooked in most accounts of the period, this masterful new history from Pulitzer Prize winner Edward J. Larson brilliantly uncovers Washington's vital role in shaping the Convention - and shows how it was only with Washington’s support and his willingness to serve as President that the states were brought together and ratified the Constitution, thereby saving the country.
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A readable history
- By Jean on 10-21-14
By: Edward Larson
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Patrick Henry
- Champion of Liberty
- By: Jon Kukla
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 17 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Born in 1736, Patrick Henry was an attorney and a planter and an outstanding orator in the movement for independence. A contemporary of Washington, Henry stood with John and Samuel Adams among the leaders of the colonial resistance to Great Britain that ultimately created the United States. The first governor of Virginia after independence, he was reelected several times. After declining to attend the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Henry opposed the Constitution, arguing that it granted too much power to the central government.
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Long awaited biography of Patrick Henry
- By GallowsJudge on 11-18-17
By: Jon Kukla
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The Summer of 1787
- By: David O Stewart
- Narrated by: George Wilson
- Length: 10 hrs and 47 mins
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David O. Stewart presents this well-researched account of the U.S. Constitution's creation not as a dry analysis of events, but as a high-powered narrative filled with dramatic intensity and larger-than-life historical figures.
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Very well done!
- By Alan on 04-20-17
By: David O Stewart
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Seward
- Lincoln's Indispensable Man
- By: Walter Stahr
- Narrated by: William Dufris
- Length: 22 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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From one of our most acclaimed new biographers - the first full life of the leader of Lincoln’s "team of rivals" to appear in more than 40 years. William Henry Seward was one of the most important Americans of the 19th century. Progressive governor of New York and outspoken U.S. senator, he was the odds-on favorite to win the 1860 Republican nomination for president. As secretary of state and Lincoln’s closest adviser during the Civil War, Seward not only managed foreign affairs but had a substantial role in military, political, and personnel matters.
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I Wish Doris Kearns Goodwin Had Written This
- By AR on 06-21-15
By: Walter Stahr
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The Lost Founding Father
- John Quincy Adams and the Transformation of American Politics
- By: William J. Cooper
- Narrated by: Richard Poe
- Length: 16 hrs and 38 mins
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Why has John Quincy Adams been largely written out of American history when he is, in fact, our lost Founding Father? Overshadowed by both his brilliant father and the brash and bold Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams has long been dismissed as hyper-intellectual. Viciously assailed by Jackson and his populist mobs for being both slippery and effete, Adams nevertheless recovered from the malodorous 1828 presidential election to lead the nation as a lonely Massachusetts congressman in the fight against slavery.
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Edifying
- By Jean on 01-15-18
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Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America
- A Biography
- By: William E. Gienapp
- Narrated by: L.J. Ganser
- Length: 8 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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In Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America, historian William Gienapp provides a remarkably concise, up-to-date, and vibrant biography of the most revered figure in United States history. While the heart of the book focuses on the Civil War, Gienapp begins with a finely etched portrait of Lincoln's early life, from pioneer farm boy to politician and lawyer in Springfield, to his stunning election as 16th president of the United States. Students will see how Lincoln grew during his years in office and much more.
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A great man we could use in the current political climate.
- By dts67 on 01-30-24
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A Leap in the Dark
- The Struggle to Create the American Republic
- By: John Ferling
- Narrated by: Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff
- Length: 23 hrs and 50 mins
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It was an age of fascinating leaders and difficult choices, of grand ideas eloquently expressed and of epic conflicts bitterly fought. Now comes a brilliant portrait of the American Revolution, one that is compelling in its prose, fascinating in its details, and provocative in its fresh interpretations.
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Loved every minute!
- By Richard on 03-03-15
By: John Ferling
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James Madison
- A Life Reconsidered
- By: Lynne Cheney
- Narrated by: Eliza Foss
- Length: 18 hrs and 37 mins
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A major new biography of the fourth US president, from New York Times best-selling author Lynne Cheney. James Madison was a true genius of the early republic, the leader who did more than any other to create the nation we know today. This majestic new biography tells his story. Outwardly reserved, Madison was the intellectual driving force behind the Constitution. His visionary political philosophy was a crucial factor behind the Constitution’s ratification, and his political savvy was of major importance in getting the new government underway.
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Great man, great ideas, muddling book
- By NDFletch on 06-13-15
By: Lynne Cheney
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Plain, Honest Men
- The Making of the American Constitution
- By: Richard Beeman
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 19 hrs and 18 mins
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The Constitutional Convention affected nothing less than a revolution in the nature of the American government. Led by James Madison, a small cohort of delegates devised a plan that would radically alter the balance of power between state and national governments, and then sprung that idea on a largely unsuspecting convention.
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Grand Narrative
- By Maddie49 on 10-12-11
By: Richard Beeman
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What listeners say about A Magnificent Catastrophe
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- kemberli
- 10-11-16
Some pages aren't read in the audible book
Is there anything you would change about this book?
If the person who read it didn't skip many pages at a time. State continuously exactly what is on the book. Let's say the person was reading on page 142, it read a paragraph, skipped the next paragraph, read a sentence from the following paragraph then decided to skip 3 full pages until it started reading again from what is on the book.
Has A Magnificent Catastrophe turned you off from other books in this genre?
No it has not
What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?
I liked how the reader sounded it wasn't a robot nor it was annoying. I dislike how the person kept skipping sentences from the book or even at times pages.
If this book were a movie would you go see it?
Probably.
Any additional comments?
Read the whole book continuously, exactly what is on the book.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Joseph L. Shufro
- 06-30-24
A distant reflection
While we are embroiled in divisive politics in 2024, it is instructive to look back at the dawn of our republic and see how crazy things can get. Larson brilliantly describes the machinations and intrigues that surrounded the election of 1800 and leaves us breathless. The parallels and perils of these two eras must be noted!
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- Gabriel
- 03-03-17
Get this if you have to use it for a class!!!
Honestly this audiobook helped me finish the novel in 2 days what would have likely taken me a week otherwise. Be warned though that it tends to skip lines frequently, sometimes entire paragraphs. Once or twice I had to go back and read about 4 pages! Other than that, it was definitely beneficial for me as I am not an avid, nor a quick reader and helped me better understand the history behind it.
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3 people found this helpful
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- ImmortalBear
- 03-11-17
Many paragraphs were simply left out...
Great book! mostly disappointed in how many paragraphs were removed during the read through... Is this a condensed version?
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2 people found this helpful
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- Manny Fernandez
- 05-29-12
Great Book
If you could sum up A Magnificent Catastrophe in three words, what would they be?
informative, consice, detailed
What about John Dossett’s performance did you like?
Pleasent to listen to.
Any additional comments?
This book details the struggles concerning the elections of 1800. Ironically, I found many parallels with present day politics. The "Federalist" who believed in big government and central power in a sort of monarchical government against the 'republicans' or "anti-federalist" that where big supporters of the original intent of the Constitution, de-centralized government doing battle. This fits the narrative we see today where the two factions are "Big Government" Republicans and Democrats and the smaller government "republicans" (emphasis on the lowercase 'r') which has members of more "traditional" Democrats and Republicans.
The book covers the elections of 1800 where John Adams (2nd President) seek re-election. However the current Vice President (Thomas Jefferson) also seeks his first win as POTUS. The most interesting information in this book is how two men could have been allies and come together to create the Declaration of Independence yet be so diametrically different in their respective visions for the country. Truth be told, I find it fascinating that so soon after winning are independence from the Crown, that John Adams would be the impetus for the Alien and Sedition acts. Ironically, the President and the House were protected from criticism, but the Vice President (Thomas Jefferson), was not protected.
As you all know, Adams was unsuccessful in retaining a second term as President and was succeeded by Thomas Jefferson which served two terms as President. After their rivalry, Jefferson and Adams remained in contact via mail and talked about religion, politics, to name a few.
It is difficult to ascertain a particular agenda or ideology from the writer. This is important to me as I like to form my own opinions. With that said, the author did take certain liberties and stated "FACTS" that in my opinion where not exactly facts. The one that comes to mind is, that of Jefferson being a deist.
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- Amazon Customer
- 02-19-20
enjoyed this book
especially meaningful if read after reading Hamilton and Jefferson by John Ferling. both are excellent reading.
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- c_ordering817
- 09-29-19
25% of the book is missing
Decided to listen to this in conjunction with the written book. So many skipped sentences, paragraphs and entire pages. Please reread. To John Dossett, the narrated, please DO NOT be lazy! Do your job and NARATE!
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