Daniel Webster: The Man and His Time

By Robert V. Remini

Book Overview

In almost every respect, Daniel Webster was larger than life, an intellectual colossus, a statesman of the first rank, and a man of towering and finally unfulfilled ambition. In this new biography, Webster is seen as a major player in American politics in the era between the War of 1812 and the beginning of the Civil War, involved with every significant issue confronting the new nation. Webster had no equal as an orator, then or since. Whether in the Senate, before the Supreme Court, or on the political stump, he was a golden-tongued spellbinder, often holding audiences in thrall for hours. In his lifelong defense of the Constitution, and as a constant upholder of the Union, Webster won love and respect. He was often referred to as "the Godlike Daniel". But he was also referred to as "Black Dan" because of his questionable dealings with men of wealth and power, his political conniving, his habitual nonpayment of debts, and perhaps even his somewhat roving eye.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393045528
• ISBN13: 9780393045529
• Release Date: February 1997
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 816 Pages
• Weight: 2.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.2" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Daniel Webster was one complex dude

Robert Remini brings us Daniel Webster as no one else can.... In order to paint such a perfect picture of a man that is as complex as Webster requires the knowledge of a true expert. Remini gives us a very fair and well balanced portait of a man who was a contemporary of Henry Clay, Andrew Jackson, and John Calhoun (all of whom Remini has written authorative biographies on). Make no mistake, Daniel Webster was a very complex man. One who was capable of pure genious but could also be unbelievably ignorant. His feud with Henry Clay probably cost both men the oppurtunity to be president. His ability to amass ungodly debts and then refuse to pay them is equally bizaar. However, this is the same man who argued many of the ground breaking case before the Supreme Court. He helped to stall the Civil War for 20 years by showing unflinching support to Andrew Jackson (Who was in the opposite political party) handling of the nullification crisis. Remini shows us all of these sides with the rare ability to help us get into the mind of Webster. Remini understands the age and the politics of this era like no other... therefore, if you are interested in learning about the great Daniel Webster.... look no further! However, as much as I enjoyed learning about Webster I admit you have to be motivated to read the entire book. While the politics of Webster's time were undoubtley the biggest of the time - it is hard for to finish all 800 pages when living in 2004. Make no mistake this is a great book... but even great books can be a bit dull.

A must for those intersted in early American history

The unfortunate result of the growing power and focus on the executive branch is that historians tend to focus on presidents as prime movers for american political development. Remini's biography of Daniel Webster proves paradigm deeply flawed, particularly in the early years of our nations history. Webster, though never achieving the presidency, deserves great credit for setting the tone of american government and the supremacy of congress that survived through the 19th century. Remini does a tremendous job exploring the early 19th century and the issues this second generation of american leaders faced.Recent great interest in the revolutionary generation hopefully will not eclipse the study of those, like Webster, who came next and solidified the nacient insitutions that the founders created. If the founders were the fathers of our government, than men like Webster was that government's teacher in primary school.A wonderful read, if you are really interested in the topic.

This is indeed a 5-star book

This is a perfect book. Remini does an excellent job on Webster's great Supreme Court cases, not from a legal standpoint but from a personal standpoint. His chapters on Webster's great orations make Webster's words come alive. Webster was a flawed man--he drank to excess and could not handle money--but he had magnificent powers and this boook tells his life as well as it could be told, IMHO. A great, great work.

a great bio of a most interesting man

This is a great read, organized in the way one wants biographies to be organized. Its format is superlative. There is chronology in the front to guide one to the life, and the footnotes are where they belong--on the bottom of the page, so one does not have to go to the back of the book, only to find that footnote is just a page citation. Remini makes Webster's famous orations come alive, and I thrilled anew to words long famous, expertly guided by the author of this fantastically good biography.

Magnificent book, almost a magnificent man

After reading this, I had not only a good sense of Webster, but that I had a good sense of the ante-bellum United States as it was built by the generation immediately following the revolutionary generation. The author clearly admires Webster, yet does not hide his flaws. The book takes a while to plow through, but it is a worthwhile immersion into an era in which public men could speak publicly, and move the public with -- not only the style of their oratory, but the thoughts behind it. Excellent, excellent reading, and a feast for thought.