Essay - U.s. History Historical Book Review: Moretta, John Anthony. William Pitt...

U.S. History

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

John Antony *****'s biography of William ***** Ballinger attempts to put in an his*****rical perspective the career of a legendary Texas lawyer. Throughout this text, the author stresses ***** multifaceted nature ***** 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 *****, public servant, and civic leader, but also earlier service to ***** state of Texas as a solider. L*****ter, Ballinger's literary talents were exhibited in his work as an author, edi*****rialist, naturalist, education reformer, ********** bibliophile.

***** admiration for his subject seems unfeigned. When recount*****g an incident from Ballinger's life, regarding his service to the Confederacy for example, Moretta cites evidence that although the subject's actual ***** record might indicate otherwise, Ballinger was in fact "a staunch Unionist." Other snapshots of the ***** 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 ***** be surprised at *****ing charged by ********** even today. However, this does show if nothing else that ***** lawyer had "ability" and "nerve," something ***** even his enemies admired him *****.

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 ***** the late 19th century American legal and political scene. Moretta himself admits this in his **********, stating, "through Ballinger we can watch the evolution of Texas from a rur*****l and agrarian slave society into one of the fastest growing commercial *****s in postwar America." (***** 1-2) The 'cast ***** characters' *****volved in Ball*****ger's l*****e encompassed individuals as diverse as Jefferson Davis and Daniel Webster. The relationship of Ballinger to the former is perhaps the most ********** because, again ref*****cting Ballinger's complex relationship to ***** Confederacy, after the war, Ballinger helped negotiate Texas' surrender and played a key role in the dr*****fting of the state's 1876 constitution.

Ballinger ***** ***** simply part ***** Texas' agrarian and agricultural past, *****. Although Moretta ***** the difficulty of Texas leaving behind this part ***** its history, he also, ***** ***** legal ***** during ***** Gilded Age with ***** R***** tycoons, *****s that Ballinger was able to be flexible in his attitude and outlook, to change with the shift in economic circumstances. Ultimately, Texas, ***** once a sl*****ve state, emerged as one of the most *****ally successful parts ***** the former Confederacy, despite the emotional resonance slavery still carried amongst many of its subjects. Gallinger's personal ***** ***** respond to the times he lived in, to travel North and then return home ***** dur*****g the pre***** ***** postwar periods does him credit as a man and a worthy subject of *****torical biography. It also enables the ***** to "witness firsthand the impact Nor*****rn life had on Southerners." ***** life gives a window on