The Thomas Hart Benton faction in Missouri politics, 1850-1860

The central event in the history of political parties in Missouri, between 1850 end 1856, was the fight between the Benton and the Anti-Benton factions tor the control of the dominant Democratic party in the state. At the end of that tight, there was a Benton faction steadfast enough in the support of Benton that it is characterized by the expression "Die-Hards." The purpose of this study is to trace the emergence of these "Die-Hards" and define them in terms of their geographic location, their condition of economic development, and their social background in order to discover it there were other common influences, besides Benton's personal leadership, that bound them into one political party.--Preface.