Reviews for History of Oratory and Orators: A Study of the Influence of Oratory Upon Politics and Litera...

The average rating for History of Oratory and Orators: A Study of the Influence of Oratory Upon Politics and Litera... based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-06-17 00:00:00 Sorrian Stanos My decision to read this book originated from an earlier book regarding the finance philosophies of Hamilton and Gallatin. Selling public land to private parties was important in early American for two reasons - to encourage and facilitate westward expansion and to create revenue for early America. The book was written in 1968 and reads like a reference book in many places. In fact, my copy is a former UTSA library book. As such, it can be dry in places, but it still manages to keep moving forward without letting the details be distracting. My key impressions: The actual mechanics of land distribution during westward expansion in the early years of the country (1789-1837) understandably take a back seat to the more glamorous stories of pioneer adventures and such. The actual process was much more complex in the big picture and much more mundane on a daily basis. Overall, the system was far from efficient. The challenges of accurate surveys, dealing with private land claims in the newly-acquired Louisiana Territory, and the constant battle with Congress to get the funds for appropriate staffing levels and expenses were just a few of the issues noted. The first few years seemed to be characterized by a sincere desire for all involved to expedite the settling of new lands for the benefit of the average citizen. Along the way, speculation and profit became increasingly common, and the later years were characterized by more selfish motivations. In fact, the author makes a point to distinguish the Jackson presidency, in which political appointees to key land office positions became the norm. Consequently, the cases of fraud among these appointees increased during this period as well. The primary land business ended around 1837 as the country's focus turned more inward towards the development of urban areas and the accompanying investment to industry. In summary, the book accomplished what I needed it to. It gave me more information on the mechanics of land distribution in early America and how that process fit into the bigger context of the early days of the new nation.

Review # 2 was written on 2009-07-28 00:00:00 Jonathan Crummett Rather well written but rather dry, packed with figures and obviously the result of exhaustive research, The Land Office Business would not be to every reader's taste. Because I was interested in the subject -- how the various land parcels in America were bought, sold, and otherwise acquired -- I happily picked my way through much of which was fact-ridden to the point of almost, but never quite, tedious. Rohrbough gives space to some of the characters, corrupt and otherwise, who managed the business of public lands, although he allows only cursory mention of the original inhabitants and how we sold the lands where they lived.