It was one of the most critical elections of American history, overshadowed only by the one that plunged the country into civil war. The deadlocked election of 1800 has earned considerable attention and debate from historians; now James Roger Sharp reveals that modern observers didn't necessarily get it right.

Only a decade old, the Constitution gave the federal government more powers than had the Articles of Confederation, causing many citizens to fear the erosion of states' rights. Meanwhile, war between France and Great Britain exacerbated the schism between Republicans and Federalists, each faction taking sides and questioning the other's loyalty. With Thomas Jefferson challenging incumbent John Adams for the presidency, a tied Electoral College vote threw the election into the House of Representatives amid rumors of violence, civil war, and secession.

Richer in contemporary detail and context than previous studies, Sharp's book offers modern readers a better understanding of exactly what was at stake. Some say that this election was a "mighty democratic uprising"; Sharp argues that such interpretations are misleading. Others contend that eighteenth-century politics were no different than ours today; Sharp reveals just how distinctive they actually were. Avoiding the common mistake of imposing modern concepts onto the past, he instead puts himself in the place of citizens from 1800 to see events through their eyes. From that perspective, Sharp argues that Americans envisioned many possible outcomes to the crisis--and that a peaceful solution was far from inevitable.

Sharp offers a vivid account of protagonists and events. He tells how military conflict became a real possibility during the deadlock and explains what Jefferson meant when he characterized his election as the "Revolution of 1800." He unravels the nature of political polarization and its relationship to the development of parties. And throughout he emphasizes that the participants themselves greatly feared what the future would bring.

Engagingly written and uncommonly insightful, Sharp's chronicle reveals the complex interplay between the main actors and the historical context in which they operated. His book sheds new light on this crucial contest--and shows like no other work that the success of the fragile new government under the Constitution was tentative at best.

The last of four volumes comprising a biographical dictionary of state speakers from 1911 to 1994, this book covers Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont. Following an analytical introduction, the entries provide biographical and career information on all of the speakers in the Northeast. The volume concludes with statistical appendices based on an exhaustive data base.

The book complements volumes on the West, the Midwest, and the South. Together the volumes provide a useful source of information that is difficult to find elsewhere.

The third of four volumes comprising a biographical dictionary of state house speakers from 1911 to 1994, this book covers speakers from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia. Following an insightful analytical introduction, the entries provide biographical and career information on all of the Southern speakers. The volume concludes with valuable statistical appendixes based on an exhaustive database. This book complements volumes on the West and Midwest. A volume on the Northeast is forthcoming.

The first of four volumes comprising a biographical dictionary of state house speakers from 1911 to 1994, this book covers speakers from Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Entries provide basic biographical and career information on more than 400 speakers. The book opens with an insightful analytical introduction and includes valuable statistical appendixes based on an exhaustive database.

Complementing Charles R. Ritter and Jon L. Wakelyn's book IAmerican Legislative Leaders, 1850-1910R (1989), this book covers those who have served as state speakers in the West since 1910. Forthcoming volumes will cover state house speakers in the South, the Midwest, and the Northeast.

The second of four volumes comprising a biographical dictionary of state house speakers from 1911 to 1994, this book covers speakers from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Entries provide basic biographical and career information on more than 1,400 speakers. The book opens with an analytical introduction and includes useful statistical appendixes. The four volumes, covering state speakers in the West, Midwest, Northeast, and South, are designed to complement Charles R. Ritter's and Jon L. Wakelyn's book "American Legislative Leaders, 1850-1910" (1989).

It was a time of civil war and economic shift from an agrarian to an industrial society for the 1,390 speakers of state houses of representatives profiled in this unique biographical dictionary. The political climate and characteristics of the politicians as a group are surveyed in introductory material. This is followed by biographical entries which include a list of sources. The cumulated bibliography, arranged by state, is valuable. . . . There is no other such directory.

"Library Journal"

On the whole it is a useful compilation, providing a starting point for research into the lives of a cross-section of legislators in this period. . . . A necessary purchase for research libraries; recommended to all academic libraries with strong collections in state history. "Choice"

During the years 1850-1910, the United States evolved from an agrarian to an industrial political economy. By the end of the century, industrialization has shifted the entire political system toward national government power, beginning a trend that continues today.

An understanding of the importance of state government and, in particular, of the lower houses of the legislatures at this time is crucial to an understanding of how American politics was transformed in the second half of the nineteenth century. This study compares the speakers of these influential nineteenth-century American political bodies and focuses on the legislative issues of the period. The largest collection of biographical data of its kind to date, the book profiles the 1,390 speakers in the period from 1850 to 1910. The collective career analysis of the individuals covered provides an unprecedented exploration of the socioeconomic issues, the governmental processes, and the political behavior of the times to allow a more thorough understanding of the transition from an agrarian to an industrial state. This comprehensive study of state political power will provide fresh insight into the American legislative system of the latter half of the nineteenth century and will be of special value to scholars of American political history and political science.