Point of View

The point of view of the author is that of the dispassionate historian relating important events in as even-handed a manner as possible. It is similar to the point of view of journalists, who are said to write the first draft of history. But her history includes the very human natures of various important key figures from the president to a city mayor, the role that wives and family play in affecting how key players act and react. The detached point of view allows the reader to accept the narrator as a factual and authoritative source of information, and as a key to unraveling the often-complicated tangle of personalities, political parties, courts and Congress in making American history in this era. Most importantly, the objective viewpoint enables the author to treat the multiple characters as individuals, rather than simply political actors.

Language and Meaning

The...