Off-campus UMass Amherst users: To download campus access theses, please use the following link to log into our proxy server with your UMass Amherst user name and password.
Non-UMass Amherst users: Please talk to your librarian about requesting this thesis through interlibrary loan.
Theses that have an embargo placed on them will not be available to anyone until the embargo expires.
Access Type
Open Access
Document Type
thesis
Degree Program
History
Degree Name
Thesis (M.A.)
Year Degree Awarded
1973
Abstract
Stout and ugly, brusque and brilliant, Benjamin F. Butler stormed across the American scene in a tumultuous career lasting nearly half a century. Able jurist, wily politician, and farsighted but sometimes luckless Civil War General, Butler devoted his life to a zealous quest for renown and success, a search matched in intensity by a passion for aiding society's downtrodden. Often a pure party man who would not go beyond that which his political affiliations demanded, he was yet often the fiery advocate of controversial social reform. Whether battling for New England' exploited factory operatives or seeking an avenue for black rights in Civil War America, Ben Butler's energies were aimed towards the uplifting of the underdog, even as those energies were directed towards the achievement of Butler's personal recognition.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7275/zx2y-s176