Philadelphia Presidential Conventions (December, V. 41, No. 1/2,)

This historic exploration of Philadelphia's presidential nominating conventions illuminates the personalities, oratory, party platforms, and concerns behind the nine conventions that have been held there since 1848. It puts the upcoming 37th Republican National Convention in a broader historical context of traditions, procedures, candidates, and issues central to past conventions. The inside stories on the founding convention of 1856 that introduced Abraham Lincoln to the nation, the 1872 convention and the struggle to quell the Ku Klux Klan, and the 1900 Republican convention that brought Theodore Roosevelt to the stage are all revealed in this historical study of how the national nominating convention remains as one of the greatest expressions of democracy.