Congressional Giants: Influential Leaders of Congress and How They Shaped American History [Hardcover]

The Congress of the United States operates in the shadow of the American presidency, which can make the legislative branch appear less important than the executive in our constitutional system of government. And yet Congress is a co-equal branch of government, deriving its powers from Article I of the United States Constitution. Love it or hate it, the institution is a source of incredible power. It behooves all Americans to learn more about Congress. Although a single slender volume cannot provide information on all there is to know about Congress, it can begin the journey. In Congressional Giants, political scientist J. Michael Martinez explores the careers and achievements of 14 influential leaders of Congressmen who either held formal positions within the chambers of Congress, such as speaker of the House of Representatives or Senate majority leader, or who served on important committees--to determine how they shaped the course of American history.J. Michael Martinez is professor at Georgia Gwinnett College and the University of Georgia.J. Michael Martinez analyzes how Congress, one of the three co-equal branches of government, both reflects and creates history. His choice of fourteen congressional leaders offers an excellent juxtaposition of effective, yet different, paths to power. Congressional Giants will enhance our appreciation of the role of statesmanship in a democracy. Vernon Burton, Clemson University

Introduction and Acknowledgments

Chapter 1: The Great TriumvirateHenry Clay, Daniel Webster, and John C. Calhoun

Chapter 2: Stephen A. Douglas Chapter 3: Thomas B. Reed Chapter 4: Joseph G. Cannon

Chapter 5: Nicholas Longworth

Chapter 6: Robert A. Taft

Chapter 7: Sam Rayburn

Chapter 8: Richard B. Russell, Jr. Chapter 9: Everett Dirksen Chapter 10: Lyndon B. Johnson

Chapter 11: Mike Mansfield

Chapter 12: Thomas P. Tip ONeill, Jr. Notes