The First Hurrah

The First Hurrah
The First Hurrah is an article written by Louis W. Koenig and published by American Heritage in April/May of 1980. Louis Koenig is a professor of government at New York University and has written several articles for American Heritage. He is also the author of several major books and is best known by students of the presidency for his classic text, The Chief Executive. One of Koenig’s earliest articles, The First Hurrah, breaks down the madness of presidential campaigning that was first introduced by the thirty-six year old Democratic nominee William Jennings Bryan in the election of 1896. This bold candidate invested all of his time and energy into a full-scale grand campaign against the Republican nominee, William Mckinley, which would later set a precedent of campaigning that even today candidates still follow. Through Koenig’s use of direct dates, personal quotations, and statistics, I believe this article is an effective source for those seeking to know more about the roots of   presidential campaigning.
Through Louis’ use of direct dates, his article becomes a more credible and effective source on the origins of presidential campaigning. Although not specific with days and months, Koenig uses specific years in which events occurred and organizes them in a close enough chronological order which makes the article easier for the reader to follow. For example, dates in the article start at 1800 then run through specific years such as 1860, 1872, 1884, 1895, and 1896. Koenig gives the reader a background behind each year’s election, candidates, and details on the different campaigning strategies used.
Another aspect of this article that maintains its effectiveness is the use of personal quotations. These quotes further validate the topic by giving the reader a sense of the atmosphere during the Bryan’s campaign and how other candidates felt about him. On Koenig’s third page he writes about William Bryan seeking the support of Democratic...