Scan barcode
gannent's review
5.0
Parlor Politics is a fascinating look into the politics of early Washington, DC. The author posits that the women of Washington had a huge influence on politics, one that has gone mostly unnoticed and unexamined. She states that these women created spaces that allowed politics to function, through calling, parties, and other gatherings. In these informal spaces, men and women could meet and talk politics in a way they could not anywhere else. She goes through the presidencies from Jefferson to Jackson and talks about the social scene in each of them, how they were different, and the effect that had on politics during that presidency. The strongest case is made in the chapter on Jackson's presidency, where she is able to show how the breakdown of society through the Peggy Eaton affair directly affects the breakdown of politics.
More...