Page:American Historical Review vol. 6.djvu/391

 McGct (Jamil: History of Tennessee 381 and representatives were allowed to resume their seats in Congress. Thus Tennessee was the first of the seceding states to be recognized by all three departments of the national government and escaped congres- sional reconstruction and carpet-bag rule. But the animosities of its citi- zens were bitter enough. In 1870, by the connivance of Governor Senter, who sought re-election, a majority of the male citizens of full age voted, and thus the democrats were returned to power. Both of the books named above have been published for use in the schools of Tennessee. McGee's book is addressed " To the Girls and Boys of Tennessee " and, allowing for its limited scope and purpose, is almost above criticism. In many difficult passages, in the one treating of Governor Senter's re-election among others, the author displays his- torical abilities worthier of a larger scope and a more critical audience. His account of the Tennessee Centennial Exposition held in 1897 to celebrate the completion of 100 years of statehood is, however, undig- nified and silly. Two features of that exposition which were especially successful and distinctive were the display of the raw products of the South, from field, forest and mine, and the architecture. The Art Building was an exact reproduction of the Parthenon in external form, size, and decorations, and all the chief buildings were in either the pure Greek or the colonial style, formerly so much used in the south. The other book, though immediately designed for use in the higher grades, in compliance with the new text-book law, is in places more pre- tentious than a text-book and deserves consideration on more general grounds. It is a brief but compendious history of the state, containing the best that is to be found in Haywood, Ramsey and Phelan, correcting errors, exploding myths, and adding fresh material. The statements of fact are reliable, and the authors have shown great diligence in collect- ing them. The most valuable contributions are the chapters on the Indian treaties and land cessions, with new maps drawn from the data. These are subjects on which the authors are specialists. There is so much action in the early period that the narrative seldom fails to be interesting. But chapter after chapter in the period after 1815 is a mere chronicle of events and series of biographical sketches. The authors lack literary finish, historical perspective, power of generalization and power of interpretation. The mutiny of the Tennessee troops in the Creek campaign (Fort Strother, Alabama, December, 1813) is rhetorically attributed to deficient " fortitude." In fact it was due to the faulty militia system of defense against the Indians, a system which deserved full dis- cussion. General Jackson is praised for the spectacular events of Janu- ary 8, 1815, and nothing is said of his memorable display of military genius by the attack of December 23, 18 14. It would take a Cuvier to reconstruct from the dry bones of constitutional change scattered through the book any semblance to the organic development which actually took place from 1796 to 1870. Internal improvements which the constitution of 1834 was designed to promote, are treated of towards the close of the book in a chapter entitled: "The Constitution of 1870 Prohibits