The New Encyclopedia of American Scandal


Book Description

Covering people and events from the 1630s to the present day, this reference offers 455 entries on such topics as dirty politics, white-collar scams, botched cover-ups, tawdry love affairs, and despicable acts of corruption.




The American Political Scandal


Book Description

In this holistic examination of political scandal in the United States, David Dewberry argues convincingly that such scandals follow a consistent narrative centered largely on media coverage and politician performance rather than the actual corruption or ethics violation committed. In making this argument, he also provides an analytical framework for understanding the patterns underlying scandals regardless of their unique political contexts. Dewberry dissects four major examples—Teapot Dome, Watergate, Iran-Contra, and Clinton/Lewinsky—and explores the roles of various constituencies involved in creating, reacting to, and mediating the scandal. What is the true role of journalism within the context of scandal? What persuasive techniques do politicians employ to develop and perpetuate scandals? What motives and values bring scandals to a close? In addition to the core cases, Dewberry incorporates briefer examples from contemporary and ongoing controversies including Anthony Weiner’s sexting scandal, money and sex in Congress, how cover-ups have gone digital, and Chris Christie’s Bridgegate. The result is a fascinating and thoughtful look at the relationships among political discourse, free speech, and democracy.




The Great American History Fact-finder


Book Description

"Over 2,000 entries covering the who, what, where, when and why of U.S. history."--Thumbnail.




Scandal!


Book Description

There are many types of political scandals: sex, corruption, and election scandals are but a few. Political scandals are public events that have tremendous consequence on citizenry and can undermine democratic institutions-when we pay attention to scandal, we risk ignoring weightier matters. This volume brings together an array of academics to explore the impact of political scandals. What makes this book different from others is the wide spectrum of perspectives brought together to help analyze a single subject.




The City and Sex


Book Description

The City and Sex examines American political sex scandals at the national level. Studying these events over time with an emphasis on the evolving responses of both statesmen and citizens reveals the republic’s deteriorating moral health and illuminates the country’s dangerous tendency toward servitude. Using scandals as a window through which to glimpse our deterioration, the book identifies a trajectory of decline beginning in the twentieth century, by which Americans became less tutored in virtue, less spirited in citizenship, less agreed on questions of moral significance, and ultimately less dexterous in exercising the skills of self-government. It seeks to show that the freedom from virtue won through the collapse of moral standards has produced an American citizenry increasingly prone to the kind of dependence and enslavement Alexis de Tocqueville cautioned against in the 1830s.




A Humorous Account of America's Past


Book Description

In 1945, the United States was the most powerful nation in the world. But an "Iron Curtain" soon surrounded Eastern Europe, and by 1950, Americans were fighting in Korea. In 1952, "I Like IKE!" swept the nation, and the Fabulous Fifties began. GM sold the most cars, gas was 29 cents a gallon, and a new house cost $9,000. In 1955, following President Eisenhower's "mild" heart attack, America's favorite "sick joke" had Vice President Dick Nixon greeting Ike at the White House by saying, "Welcome back. . . May I race you up the stairs?" The Fabulous Fifties of Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley gave way to riots, Hippies, and The Beatles during the Radical Sixties. The 1960's began with JFK's "New Frontier," grew into LBJ's "Great Society" and the Vietnam War, and ended with Nixon's "Silent Majority" and men on the moon. Soon, Nixon resigned, Ford stumbled, Carter's brother sold "Billy Beer," and the star of Bedtime for Bonzo led the popular "Reagan Revolution." In 1989, Reagan's "Evil Empire" collapsed. Soon, George Bush was victorious over Iraq and Panama, and lost to Bill Clinton in 1992. Clinton was eventually impeached, and was later replaced by another Bush. Want more details? Read my book.




A Humorous Account of America's Past: 1898 to 1945


Book Description

In 1898, the United States became an empire by accident due to our splendid little war against Spain. At the beginning of the 20th Century, the most famous men in America were not athletes or politicians; they were inventors and businessmen like Bell, Edison, Morgan, and Rockefeller. Teddy Roosevelt built the Panama Canal, launched the Great White Fleet, and became a Bull Moose. Woodrow Wilson was reelected in 1916 because He Kept Us Out of War! World War I began as a family feud between three European cousins named Georgie, Willie, and Nicky. The War to end all wars set the stage for World War II. Americas first female President was Edith Wilson, and our first Black President was possibly Warren Harding. Aside from Babe Ruth, Charles Lindbergh, Al Capone, Sigmund Freud, Emily Post, or Sinclair Lewis novels and Hollywoods movies, Calvin Coolidge personified the Roaring Twenties. Following the Stock Market Crash, FDRs New Deal and his fireside chats helped up survive Hoovervilles, but it took World War II to end the Great Depression. What happened between Pearl Harbor and the Atomic Bomb? Read my book.




The Eisenhower Years


Book Description

The Fabulous Fifties were America's "Happy Days." The Eisenhower Years produced amazing contributions to our American culture -- and to other cultures around the world. In so many ways, Americans innovated, and the world imitated -- from Elvis Presley and rock 'n' roll to the Salk anti-polio vaccine. America's contributions to the world included motion pictures and the Broadway stage; radio and television; amateur and professional sports; jazz, the "blues," country-and-Western music, traditional ballads and popular songs, and rock 'n' roll; domestic and international business and trade; public and private educational opportunities; and a rich and varied literature. While Americans did not invent all these categories, they nevertheless took each to new heights during the Eisenhower Years, and shared their bounty with the world. The Eisenhower Years, generally speaking, were happier, more stable, more prosperous, more optimistic, and simpler times then the preceding decades of the 1930's and '40's and the increasingly turbulent 1960's and '70's that followed. In fact, America's exuberance in so many areas of the arts and everyday life was omnipresent. As for political and military achievements, President Eisenhower kept us safely out of war, and was wise enough to stay out of the way of America's artists and entrepreneurs. As a result, the Eisenhower Years should forever be remembered as those "Happy Days."




The Psychedelic Sixties: a Social History of the United States, 1960-69


Book Description

The Psychedelic Sixties were turbulent times filled with periods of ecstasy and despair. Who could have predicted that President Kennedy's Camelot would end with his televised assassination? Or that Harvard psychologist Timothy Leary's "Concord Prison Project" would evolve into his becoming the pied piper of LSD, the Psychedelic Revolution, and the Hippie Movement? To the credit of many Americans, a key characteristic of the Psychedelic Sixties was the search for solutions to society's social problems. But who could have predicted that President Johnson's "Great Society" would soon fall victim to race riots, student protests, and an increasingly unpopular war in Vietnam? Throughout the sixties, regular folks tried to find relief by watching TV comedies, motion picture musicals, and major sports events. And music --- from The Beatles to The Rolling Stones. Despite all the decade's chaos and bloodshed, public and private schools at all levels grew at unprecedented rates. And corporate America and our schools were more in cahoots than ever: "Want a good job? Get a college degree!" And, in 1969, as some Hippies still exclaimed, "Tune in, turn on, drop out!", an American named Neil Armstrong WALKED ON THE MOON!




Teaching U.S. History Through Sports


Book Description

For teachers at the college and high school levels, this volume provides cutting-edge research and practical strategies for incorporating sports into the U.S. history classroom.