Eighteen-century British elections vs. twenty-first American ones!

In my Hanoverian England class, we are about to embark on an examination of elections in the eighteenth century, looking primarily at the question of party involvement. The traditional approach to the political structure, espoused by Macauley and Trevelyan, envisioned two parties—Whig and Tory—clearly delineated by political and religious philosophies. Revisionists, such as Lewis Namier, reject the existence of parties and claim instead that men acted politically through factions dedicated to their political gain and personal enrichment. Philosophy had nothing to do with it.

Such a contrast in interpretations is instructive to me in considering the current political atmosphere in the United States. First do parties actually exist? We have two clearly defined political parties indentifed by unmistakably liberal and conservative positions, right? Perhaps one could argue that, on the surface at least, the Democrats seem to possess more philosophical diversity than the Republicans. For instance, the Republicans all line up behind their President on the war in Iraq (all except Ron Paul who seems to be going nowhere) and most other issues (except perhaps immigration policy), while the Democrats seem spread out over the spectrum on a whole host of issues. Paul Krugman, in his recent Conscience of a Liberal, argues that the parties are more philosophically cohesive now than they have been in a long time, but I’m not so sure. The Republicans are in fact deeply divided between social and fiscal conservatives who have little in common, while the Democrats may be as united to their opposition to Bush as the Republicans are united in his support but that’s about it. Surface agreement on the war, health care, or immigration policy soon dissipates in the details. Both parties appear to be uneasy coalitions bound together only for the purposes of gaining election.

Secondly why do men (and thankfully in the twenty-first century, women) enter politics? On the local level it seems clear that it is one set of developers trying to outmaneuver another. One might argue that on the national level the situation is the same, only somewhat more disguised. Are Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney seeking the presidency for altruistic reasons to serve their country or do they yearn for raw power? Was the Compassionate Conservative really more concerned about aiding his friends in the oil business?



While the idealist sitting on my left shoulder would like to believe that philosophy prompted the politics of Robert Walpole and John Kennedy, the cynic on my right sees it all arising from self-interest. Increasingly the Namier in me seems to supercede the Macauley. What a pity!

Mystery Solved

I know that I mention that Famous Theater seem unknown. I was wrong. I just needed to find the right people to ask. I found older African-American residents who remebered the Famous and talked about life on the westside in the 1940s and 1950s at the Unity Day festival celebrating Martin Luther King's legacy. There memories helped to clarify the story of the Famous and its relationship to the Star, but more importantly it reminded me of the importance of getting out and recording stories.

A Bit of a Historical Mystery

As a professional historian you always (95% of the time) end up going to a new place when you get a new job. For me, that new place was Winter Park. In many ways it was a lucky break for me. I grew up in Florida, I'm not in love with the cold (I could have ended up at a large land grant university in the middle of Idaho!) Instead, I got to stay in Florida. Moreover, as I looked around Winter Park I found interesting things for an urban historian to consider. The city's dedication to cultivating a "urban village" identity in a Central Florida region known for Disney and mass tourism is ripe for consideration. Struggles over planning and the dangers of sprawl are everywhere to see and the Hannibal Square neighborhood and Eatonville are centers of black history often ignored by the wider public. Hannibal Square, situated on the west side of the city, is a historic black community that served as home to black residents who worked in the groves, hotels, and homes of the white residents who came to Winter Park when life became too cold in the Northeast. Hannibal Square's story is the story of African-American experience in the 20th century in some ways, and a interesting contradiction in others. Recently Dr. Denise Cummings and I worked on a Florida Humanities Council grant examining the history of the Colony Theater on Park Avenue in Winter Park. The building's current incarnation as a Pottery Barn does nothing to distract from the bright vertical marquee that still bears the movie house's name. While researching the theater we discovered a black theater or to be precise, two black theaters. Oral interviews establish the existence of a theater called The Star. Archival research and newspaper accounts established the existence of a theater called The Famous. Now the big question (there are many) is which one came first (older black residents seem to remember The Star, but no one seems to recall The Famous). It is a mystery, if you know anything, let me know!!!

The New York Times Weighs In On What Historians Already Know

A friend sent me a story from the New York Times about the first raging debate about the fitness of African-American men versus white women to participate in the political process. While they were allies in the anti-slavery movement, white women were angered by the decision to give black men the vote before white women. A great book about the struggle between African-American men and white women's political rights is Louise M. Newman, White Women's Rights: The Racial Origins of Feminism in the United States (Oxford University Press, 1999)

Everyone else is blogging, so why can't we!!!

Someone will ask, so let me confront it right now. There is no good reason to blog. Sure you can argue it another way to reach people, or that expressing ideas is always a good, but who is really reading? This question become even more important when you consider the opinion of a bunch of historians are likely not to draw a lot of hits. Nonetheless, if you don't meet the kids were they are, you can't reach them:) This blog has been renamed for the history department's use, but I will keep the posting relating to my student's digital history project available. I like the symbolism of a project in the classroom leading to a discussion in department meeting, and then to this!!! It could be you will see some amazing opinions and biting commentary in this space. Or you might see it sit here and do nothing. It is an experiment worthy of a liberal art institution!