America's Deadliest Election Audiobook By Dana Bash, David Fisher cover art

America's Deadliest Election

The Cautionary Tale of the Most Violent Election in American History

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America's Deadliest Election

By: Dana Bash, David Fisher
Narrated by: Dana Bash
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About this listen

“Let chaos come.”

From CNN’s Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash, the fast-paced story of the extraordinary election that led to hundreds of murders, warfare in the streets of New Orleans, two governors of Louisianaand changed the course of politics in our country.

The Election of 1872 was the most contentious in American history. After both parties complained of corruption, neither candidate would concede, two governors claimed office and chaos erupted. Rival newspapers engaged in a bitter war of words, politicians plotted to overthrow the government, and their supporters fought in the streets and attempted assassinations. The entire country watched in grim fascination as the wounds of the Civil War were ripped open and the promise of President Grant’s Reconstruction faltered in the face of violent resistance and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan.

In this riveting book, Dana Bash and David Fisher tell the incredible, little-known story of the election that pushed democracy to the breaking point, and sparked historic events including:

  • The Colfax Massacre, in which at least 150 Black men were killed by white supremacists
  • The extraordinary train race from New York to New Orleans for control of the state government
  • The election of the first black Congressman from Louisiana in the face of violent resistance
  • The Supreme Court ruling that ended Reconstruction and became the foundation of Southern segregation, changing the American legal system for the next century

Listeners will find eerie parallels to today's divided political landscape and leaders willing to seize power no matter the cost. An eye-opening warning of what's at stake and what it takes to protect our democracy, this is a must-hear tale of America's deadliest election.

©2024 Dana Bash and David Fisher (P)2024 Harlequin Enterprises, Limited
Politics & Government United States American History War
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What listeners say about America's Deadliest Election

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Amazing History

This book is well researched and well written. The audiobook gets the listener through the material as if watching a movie. It unfolds like a great story and you are left more enlightened about our complexed past.

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Great performance by author

Great history of 1872 state elections in LA which I found very interesting. Good chapter on 1876 Presidential election

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Happening Now

Just like all the books I’ve read about Reconstruction the racist backlash then is happening now.

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oh my

wow, what a country we have 🤦‍♂️we have issues here. I think many should read, before casting a vote

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Democrats and Republicans were opposite from their duties today.

The first quarter of the book felt like a classroom lecture. That isn’t a bad thing. However, the drama of the 2024 election had prepared me for drama. Yes, that was unrealistic. Dana Bash did a nice job lecturing/reading this book. Her voice was pleasant, clear, and easy on the ears.

I’m not getting into the politics. I’m going to discuss the surprises:
1) The 2nd Amendment caused the same problems back then that they do today. Gun owners feared the militia would take their weapons away. The militia had no right to do this. However, there were fears the locals would strive for dominance.

2) There was still much tension between the races and whites feared the blacks getting the right to vote.

3) The KKK was real and ugly even at the inception of their racist existence. (Sorry, I won’t speak well of this organization. Not ever. Hatred over racial differences is disgusting to me.)

4) The various political groups were all paranoid. Violence “in chambers” was common and sometimes deadly. I swear they acted like they were Wild West cowboys.

5) Term limits were not set at this point in history.

6) Sadly, politicians today are slightly more refined, but the same mistakes are still being repeated.

7) Black people were still treated horribly. Murder wasn’t considered a jail able offense back then.

This turned out to be an excellent learning tool. I give my thanks to the authors for their hard work. I didn’t learn any of this stuff in school. I hope the voters read this and start calling our present-day politicians to account when they act out.

RECOMMEND.

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A Very Interesting Telling of Political Turmoil After The Civil War in Louisiana

I completely enjoyed this audiobook. I know a good deal about this time in American History. Nonetheless I learned a good deal. The Audiobook is narrated by Dana Bash. She does an excellent job. Thank You…

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History of American politics very fascinating. Dana did an awesome job. This history should be taught in schools.

Nothing, the author did a superb job of capturing my attention from the first line. Perfectly written

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Elections Matter

At first I was hesitant to read this book by a journalist from CNN. I’m glad I overcame my reluctance as I learned a lot from the book. Her thesis is that a corrupt election in LA snowballed into a disaster of epic proportions for all honest citizens of our nation. I think she proved her point. One thing that I took away from her study of the topic is the ballot box is the beating heart of our democracy. In the book, both parties were equally guilty of dishonesty. I agree. In the background, the parallels between then and now naturally run through the readers’ minds. However, then as now, BOTH parties must safeguard the electoral process. That means each party should abstain from even the appearance of impropriety. The “win at any cost” strategy is a loser in a democracy. I recommend the book as a valuable resource for anyone interested in learning the history of democracy in America. I also recommend it to all party officials of both parties as a primer in asking themselves the following question. “What can we do to ensure election integrity and satisfy the reasonable concerns of the other side?”

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Excellent listen.

An excellent extraction from history that highlights the problems which expose democracy to manipulation. Recommended!

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Elite Work from an Elite Journalist

As a longtime CNN and Dana Bash fan, I had little doubts about this book heading into it. I was not disappointed. Dana Bash layers an incredibly rich and well-sourced mesh of history, law, and sociocultural politics. I would highly recommend to anyone who is a lover of American history.

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