American Political Scandals, Past and Present

by Barbara Silberdick Feinberg

A survey of American political scandals from the earliest days of the republic to the present. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0531111261
• ISBN13: 9780531111260
• Release Date: January 1811
• Publisher: Franklin Watts
• Weight: 1.06 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.3" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

Highlights of Political Scandal

Published in 1991, this book highlights the lows of political scandals from Andrew Jackson?s unintentionally bigamous marriage (1971) to the Savings and Loan scandals of the early 1990s. Dr. Feinberg describes a political scandal as ?anything in a public official?s professional or personal life that defies the code of conduct Americans set for themselves.? She astutely notes that since morals change, so may the behavior thought sufficient to reach scandal status. She excludes scandals that do not involve political or personal morality (although many early scandals such as the ?Peggy Eaton Affair? seem to fall outside this scope), and does not discuss unverified accusations. Thus, she mentions (in Chapter 1) that there ?is no mention? of the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill hearings or the charge that the release of hostages in Iraq was timed to influence the 1980 election.For the most part, the book focuses on egregious and important scandals, along with a few of the more vivid episodes (e.g., the beating of Senator Sumner in the Senate Chamber, and the Hamilton/Burr duel) to keep things interesting. Dr. Feinberg categorizes the many scandals into ?Violent Political Quarrels,? ?Controversial Election Returns,? ? Affairs of the Heart,? ?Political Office for Personal Profit,? ?Public Displays of Personal Misconduct,? ?and ?Abuse of Power.? Unfortunately, the book predates the impeachment of Clinton, and the 2002 election irregularities, although there is an excellent section on the abuses of Iran-Contra (although the defense position is not discussed). She wisely concludes, ?although the government is not scandal proof, it is not permanently scandal-ridden,? and she reminds readers of the governmental and journalistic checks against scandal. Although limited by its brevity, Dr. Feinberg presents three theories about the prevalence of scandal in the Grant, Harding, Nixon, and Reagan eras. Teachers and students will be pleased with the book?s bibliography, glossary, six pages of source notes, timeline, and index.