America's Deadliest Election

The Cautionary Tale of the Most Violent Election in American History

By: Dana Bash, David Fisher

Narrated by: Dana Bash

“Let chaos come.”

From CNN’s Chief Political Correspondent Dana Bash, the fast-paced story of the extraordinary election that led to hundreds of murders, warfare in the streets of New Orleans, two governors of Louisiana—and changed the course of politics in our country.

The Election of 1872 was the most contentious in American history. After both parties complained of corruption, neither candidate would concede, two governors claimed office and chaos erupted. Rival newspapers engaged in a bitter war of words, politicians plotted to overthrow the government, and their supporters fought in the streets and attempted assassinations. The entire country watched in grim fascination as the wounds of the Civil War were ripped open and the promise of President Grant’s Reconstruction faltered in the face of violent resistance and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan.

In this riveting book, Dana Bash and David Fisher tell the incredible, little-known story of the election that pushed democracy to the breaking point, and sparked historic events including:

• The Colfax Massacre, in which at least 150 Black men were killed by white supremacists
• The extraordinary train race from New York to New Orleans for control of the state government
• The election of the first black Congressman from Louisiana in the face of violent resistance
• The Supreme Court ruling that ended Reconstruction and became the foundation of Southern segregation, changing the American legal system for the next century

Listeners will find eerie parallels to today's divided political landscape and leaders willing to seize power no matter the cost. An eye-opening warning of what's at stake and what it takes to protect our democracy, this is a must-hear tale of America's deadliest election.

©2024 Dana Bash and David Fisher (P)2024 Harlequin Enterprises, Limited

Amazing History

This book is well researched and well written. The audiobook gets the listener through the material as if watching a movie. It unfolds like a great story and you are left more enlightened about our complexed past.

Great performance by author

Great history of 1872 state elections in LA which I found very interesting. Good chapter on 1876 Presidential election

Happening Now

Just like all the books I’ve read about Reconstruction the racist backlash then is happening now.

Elite Work from an Elite Journalist

As a longtime CNN and Dana Bash fan, I had little doubts about this book heading into it. I was not disappointed. Dana Bash layers an incredibly rich and well-sourced mesh of history, law, and sociocultural politics. I would highly recommend to anyone who is a lover of American history.

The Devil is in The Details

Loved the first person testimonies and impressed with the detailed research History does seem to repeat itself

A Very Interesting Telling of Political Turmoil After The Civil War in Louisiana

I completely enjoyed this audiobook. I know a good deal about this time in American History. Nonetheless I learned a good deal. The Audiobook is narrated by Dana Bash. She does an excellent job. Thank You…

History of American politics very fascinating. Dana did an awesome job. This history should be taught in schools.

Nothing, the author did a superb job of capturing my attention from the first line. Perfectly written

Elections Matter

At first I was hesitant to read this book by a journalist from CNN. I’m glad I overcame my reluctance as I learned a lot from the book. Her thesis is that a corrupt election in LA snowballed into a disaster of epic proportions for all honest citizens of our nation. I think she proved her point. One thing that I took away from her study of the topic is the ballot box is the beating heart of our democracy. In the book, both parties were equally guilty of dishonesty. I agree. In the background, the parallels between then and now naturally run through the readers’ minds. However, then as now, BOTH parties must safeguard the electoral process. That means each party should abstain from even the appearance of impropriety. The “win at any cost” strategy is a loser in a democracy. I recommend the book as a valuable resource for anyone interested in learning the history of democracy in America. I also recommend it to all party officials of both parties as a primer in asking themselves the following question. “What can we do to ensure election integrity and satisfy the reasonable concerns of the other side?”

Excellent listen.

An excellent extraction from history that highlights the problems which expose democracy to manipulation. Recommended!

More History That Needs to Be Known

So glad Bash and Fisher researched and wrote this book. So edifying, explaining how we got to today’s edgy circumstances. It’s clear, we NEVER healed from our country’s Original Sin of slavery, and that it was - and still is - perpetrated by selfishly cruel people who cannot share with others they deem beneath them. Of course, this history will be placed on the Banned Books list!