Imperfect union : how Jessie and John Frémont mapped the West, invented celebrity, and helped cause the Civil War
Steve Inskeep (Author)
Steve Inskeep tells the riveting story of John and Jessie Frémont, the husband and wife team who were instrumental in the westward expansion of the United States in the 1800s, and thus became America's first great political couple. Born out of wedlock in 1813, John Frémont went to work at age thirteen to help support his family in Charleston, South Carolina. By the 1840s he rose to become one of the most acclaimed people of the age-- known as a wilderness explorer, bestselling writer, gallant army officer, and latter-day conquistador, who began the United States' takeover of California from Mexico in 1846. Mountains, towns, ships, and streets were named after him. A vital factor in his climb to fame was his wife, Jessie Benton Frémont, daughter of a powerful United States senator. Jessie-- who wanted to play roles in politics and exploration, roles which were then reserved for men-- threw her skill and passion into promoting her husband. Ordered by the US Army to map the Oregon Trail, John traveled thousands of miles on horseback, indifferent to his safety and that of the other members of his expeditions. When he returned home, Jessie helped him to shape dramatic reports of his adventures, which were reprinted in newspapers and bound as popular books. Jessie became his political adviser, and a power player in her own right. In 1856, the famous couple strategized as John became the first-ever presidential nominee of the newly established Republican Party. The party had been founded in opposition to slavery, and though both Frémonts were Southerners they became symbols of the cause. With rare detail and in consummate style, Steve Inskeep tells the story of a couple whose joint ambitions and talents intertwined with those of the nascent United States itself. Americans linked the Frémonts with not one but three great social movements of the time-- westward settlement, women's rights, and opposition to slavery. Theirs is a surprisingly modern story of ambition and fame; they lived in a time of globalization, technological disruption, and divisive politics that foreshadowed our own. The Frémonts' adventures amount to nothing less than a tour of the early American soul.-- Provided by publisher
Print Book, English, 2020
Penguin Press, New York, 2020