This review is
from: By One Vote (Paperback)
By One Vote is
a political novel and documentary series written by expert author Carole
Eglash-Kosoff. It is a story about 12 significant events in American politics
where one vote altered our society, significantly, and set our nation on an
entirely different course. While each generation may think it is facing the
nation's worst political and economic times, By One Vote is a poignant and
factual story that tells us otherwise. Through the authors detailed and elaborated
accounts of history we see what she describes as "The Butterfly
Effect," how one small change at one moment in time can have a large,
profound and sweeping effect at a later time. We also begin to see how the
political wheel of social justice turns and how it is often turned by just one
vote. Written in third person narrative and often explicit first person
dialogue, this book is for mature audiences. It is well researched and
dedicated to the unsung heroes, the unknowns-not famous men and women of
history, who changed the world by having conviction and standing up for what
they believed. These people changed the world as much as Roosevelt, Lincoln or
Bush.
In 1783 the War
of Independence was over. Unpaid soldiers from 13 colonies defeated the 18th
Century's most dominant world power, The United Kingdom. It was no contest that
General George Washington would become the first President of the United
States, however, establishing new rules for running a country was no easy task;
even the location for a central government was highly disputed. At a New York
tavern, Alexander Hamilton and Robert Morris from the Federalist Party met
privately with two leading Republicans, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. If
Hamilton gets his financial package passed they will see that Jefferson gets
the national capitol built along the Potomac River, near Virginia and Maryland.
Until completed, the temporary capitol location would stay in the "City of
Brotherly Love," Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The deal was sealed. Jefferson
and Madison began encouraging southern states to vote for Hamilton's financial
or Assumption Act and Robert Morris changed his vote for the Residency Act to
pass in favor of the District of Columbia. All hinged on that one vote.
Later in the
election of 1800, Thomas Jefferson is running against Aaron Burr and there's a
deadlock; the nation experiences its first Constitutional crisis. Jefferson
meets with James Bayard and assures him he won't replace the people who have
worked so hard within his party, if he is elected. Also, in a strange twist,
Alexander Hamilton wants Jefferson, his long time arch enemy on the political
front, to win this election. On Feb 17, 1800, James Bayard lowers his loud
Federalist voice and changes his vote from Aaron Burr to blank. The deadlock is
broken and Jefferson becomes President, doubling the size of the country with
the Louisiana Purchase and dispatching the Lewis and Clark Expedition to seek a
northwest passageway to the Pacific Ocean. Aaron Burr believes Alexander Hamilton
has attacked his honor. He challenges Hamilton to a duel, ultimately killing
him with a bullet to his lower abdomen. The Federalist voice is greatly
diminished.
In 1868,
Articles of Impeachment against President Andrew Johnson were approved by the
House of Representatives. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United
States. After his assassination, Johnson took the Presidency. He reversed and
vetoed many of Lincoln's legislation including the Freedman's Federal Program
to help slaves and the Civil Rights Act. Johnson also fired Lincoln's popular
Secretary of War. Edmund Ross would have the deciding vote on the Impeachment
of Johnson. It would not come to pass because no one wanted Benjamin Wade to
become the next President. Instead, General Ulysses S. Grant took the
Presidency in the next election.
Almost a decade
later, Rutherford B. Hayes is the Republican nominee who will continue Home
Rule and ensure racial equality in the old Confederacy. Southern Democrats hate
Republicans and want to end Home Rule. If elected, Samuel Tilden will destroy
every multiracial institution in existence and there will be no protection for
blacks; sharecropping will continue to enslave blacks as indentured servants.
Justice Daniel Davis was to cast the critical vote of the Electoral Committee.
When Davis realizes he no longer has independence from candidates Hayes and
Tilden, he resigns. Justice Joseph Bradley is appointed to take his place and
will cast his deciding vote for Hayes. Rutherford B. Hayes accepts the
Presidency, but, it's bittersweet. His cabinet has convinced him he must make
changes to appease the South. He accepts The Devil's Compromise. Against his
belief system and moral focus he ends Home Rule and withdraws Union troops from
the South. Education for the Negro and other Federal Programs disappeared
completely leaving them to face decades of fear and intimidation. Their
economic slavery continued well into the 20th Century.
In each chapter
of this historical novel we see how the vote of one person continues to shape
the lives of millions of people. The Treaty of Paris passed in 1896 by one
vote, that of Senator Stephen White. The Philippine Islands, home to seven
million people, would not be free for another half century and two world wars. The
Filipinos were outraged; they wanted their freedom, now! Affirmative Action
cases were weighted for a quarter of a century, from the 1970's to 2003. It was
a period of social unrest and Justices were vexed as to the right thing to do
about university admissions and job selection. Finally, social justice
prevailed by one vote, that of Justice Blackman. And Sandra Day O'Connor in the
year 2000, faced a complicated social issue, eventually, securing a woman's
right to choose by her one vote. The Flag Protection Act of 1989 saw many court
battles before becoming part of our patriotic legislation. There continues to
be ongoing religious disputes about constitutional freedom of speech. And, the
resentment of the Cubans residing in Florida helped place a dark horse like
George W. Bush into the White House. A nation was mesmerized by the case of
Elian Gonzales, an orphaned boy from Cuba seeking refuge in the United States.
Democrats floundered in helping Elian so Cubans living in Florida retaliated
and voted for Bush.
While author,
Carole Eglash-Kosoff, has thoroughly researched and documented these 12
accounts of one vote events that changed the course of History, we can rest
assured one vote continues to change the course of our nation, even now, within
the Obama Administration. We've just recently seen how one vote ensured 35
million Americans medical coverage they did not previously have. We can see
from these events that the American vote is here to stay and allows us a way to
disagree without having to fight a war over every dispute. It allows us to
resolve complex issues in a humane way as we strive to build a better society
for all American citizens.
Author Carole
Eglash-Kosoff, is a UCLA graduate, a teacher, a writer and a world traveler.
She has three previous books to her credit and does not shy away from the tough
subjects writing about the Apartheid of South Africa, War, Reconstruction in
the South and Racism. Mostly she writes stories about the human spirit and
hope. Her first book was titled, The Human Spirit-Apartheid's Unheralded
Heroes. Then she wrote Winds of Change and When Stars Align, both stories of
mixed race love. By One Vote is her fourth book destined to become a 12-part
documentary series. In my opinion, this is a book for any historian or history
buff as it is fact-laden and an accurate account of some of our country's most
defining moments in history. This title is also well-suited for anyone who
would like a down-to-earth account of our country's history and voting system,
complete with how the current electoral system came into existence. By One Vote
reveals to us a unique perspective of our History and shows us in detail just
how important our one vote can be.
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