Publisher's Synopsis
During his long life Robert M. T. Hunter was present from Thomas Jefferson's founding of the University of Virginia, through Jackson's destruction of the national bank, tariffs, the Mexican War, the Oregon border dispute, the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas- Nebraska Act, state's rights, secession, Civil War, slavery, emancipation, Reconstruction, Readjustment, and post-war racial relations until the era of Grover Cleveland. Hunter's strength as a politician on the national level rose from his moderate positions on the public issues of the day apart from slavery for which he was an unapologetic fervent supporter. He failed to achieve the dream of becoming President owing to his mutually destructive rivalry with fellow Virginian Henry A. Wise, and to his strong defense of slavery and white racial superiority that never wavered in his lifetime. Once a man with a brilliant future his choices led him instead to personal and professional tragedy. In the histories of the era Hunter makes constant brief appearances at critical moments, and then disappears off stage, only to re-appear later. For the Civil War reader Hunter is found everywhere and nowhere at the same time, usually reading a snippet about what he said or did before and during the war. A constant presence in the books, today he remains an enigma. This is in part because he allowed opportunities to pass him by, and in part because he left little in the way of a written record, and what he left is almost illegible. As he was a product of his birthplace and time, his ardent defense of the indefensible institution of slavery may have cost him a shot at the Presidency and brought him untold tragedy. Perhaps he should best be remembered for confirming what most people already accept, that the Civil War was caused by slavery alone. But even so, many of his speeches still speak to us today on tariffs, immigration, economics, class conflict, religious discrimination, and the role of government. This book is an effort to bring the real man to life.
