U.S. History Historical Book Review: Moretta, John Term Paper

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U.S. History

Historical Book Review: Moretta, John Anthony. William Pitt Ballinger, Texas A&M University Press: 2000.

John Antony Moretta's biography of William Pitt Ballinger attempts to put in an historical perspective the career of a legendary Texas lawyer. Throughout this text, the author stresses the multifaceted nature of his subject. A kind of 19th century Thomas Jefferson in the breadth of his accomplishments, Ballinger's various interests and occupations included not only his career as a lawyer, public servant, and civic leader, but also earlier service to his state of Texas as a solider. Later, Ballinger's literary talents were exhibited in his work as an author, editorialist, naturalist, education reformer, and bibliophile.

Moretta's admiration for his subject seems unfeigned. When recounting an incident from Ballinger's life, regarding his service to the Confederacy for example, Moretta cites evidence that although the subject's actual service record might indicate otherwise, Ballinger was in fact "a staunch Unionist." Other snapshots of the subject's acerbic quality are quite amusing, such as how even robber barons of the Industrial Age blanched at the lawyer's 2,500 "consultation fee," an amount wealthy executives might be surprised at being charged by attorneys even today.

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However, this does show if nothing else that the lawyer had "ability" and "nerve," something that even his enemies admired him for.

Even if a reader does not share Moretta's affection for his prickly subject, however, the biography does provide ample interest and scope for a student of the late 19th century American legal and political scene. Moretta himself admits this in his introduction, stating, "through Ballinger we can watch the evolution of Texas from a rural and agrarian slave society into one of the fastest growing commercial states in postwar America." (Moretta 1-2) The 'cast of characters' involved in Ballinger's life encompassed individuals as diverse as Jefferson Davis and Daniel Webster. The relationship of Ballinger to the former is perhaps the most interesting because, again reflecting Ballinger's complex relationship to the Confederacy, after….....

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