Description
Book SynopsisThis book is the first comprehensive study of how presidential mass pardons have helped put domestic insurrections to rest. Graham G. Dodds examines when and why presidents have issued mass pardons and amnesties to deal with domestic rebellion and attempt to reunite the country.
Trade ReviewMass Pardons in America is a well-researched and important book that sheds new historical light on the politics of the presidential pardon. -- Julia Azari, author of
Delivering the People’s Message: The Changing Politics of the Presidential MandateDodds illuminates key features of several important amnesties, from the early years of America through the tumultuous 1970s. This excellent book is clearly written, fast-paced, and engaging.
Mass Pardons in America is essential reading for anyone interested in the presidency, clemency, and rhetoric. -- Jeffrey Crouch, author of
The Presidential Pardon PowerGraham Dodds has done us a great service. In this bitter and divided age, he brings us back to another time, when presidents exercised the awesome constitutional power of mass pardons to achieve peace and unite the country. Forgiveness is much admired but little practiced, and we can only hope that future presidents hear what Dodds has to say. -- Joseph Margulies, author of
Thanks for Everything (Now Get Out): Can We Restore Neighborhoods Without Destroying Them?Dodds’ argument about presidential mass pardons, domestic rebellion, and national reconciliation is powerfully provocative. Readers might debate about whether it is better for the nation to remember or forget its past injuries, but all should wrestle with this book’s insights about the presidency and national community, now more than ever. -- Nicole Mellow, author of
The State of Disunion: Regional Sources of Modern American PartisanshipTable of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
1. Mass Pardons in History, Law, and Politics
2. Pennsylvania Insurrections in the Late Eighteenth Century: George Washington and John Adams
3. Mormon Resistance in the Nineteenth Century: James Buchanan, Benjamin Harrison, and Grover Cleveland
4. The Civil War: Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson
5. Vietnam War Resisters: Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter
Conclusion
Epilogue
Appendix: Other Mass Pardons and Amnesties in the United States
Notes
Bibliography
Index
