History is so fascinating because there seems to be no end to what you don’t know. Reading may help to compensate for our ignorance, but it is humbling to realize how much we need to learn.
“A Magnificent Catastrophe” by Edward Larson was a treat because it made me realize that my feelings of intense anger at President Bush was not all that remarkable.
The election of 1800, so early in our nation’s history, was filled with anger. The Republicans (supporters of State Rights) and Federalists (supporting a strong centralized government) were adamantly opposed to each other. And some were so fearful of certain persons out of fear that our fledging nation would not survive their election, that their vitriolics were off the chart. In particular, Hamilton (a Federalist) was so opposed to President Adams (also a Federalist) that he would favor Jefferson (a Republican) rather than see Adams be re-elected. To ensure that Adams would not get sufficient votes for re-election, he wrote a long, scathing pamphlet about the evils of Adams and his weaknesses. At the same time, Jefferson (along with his supporters, e.g., Madison and Munroe) was focusing on how best to ensure his election.
The anger involved in this process made me feel that my anger is not so bad! Whether I would want to sit down with Bush and enjoy a beer is questionable, but the good outcome is that Jefferson, Madison, and Munroe (all Virginians and strong Republicans) led our nation as relative moderates. Our nation survived. So, maybe we can survive Bush!
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