Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents v
3. List of Illustrations vii
4. List of Tables ix
5. List of Abbreviations xi
6. Preface xiii
7. Chapter 1. Introduction 1
8. Chapter 2. The Evolving Roles and Responsibilities of House Officers in the Antebellum Era 25
9. Chapter 3. Organizational Politics under the Secret Ballot 56
10. Chapter 4. Bringing the Selection of House Officers into the Open 76
11. Chapter 5. Shoring Up Partisan Control: The Speakership Elections of 1839 and 1847 109
12. Chapter 6. Partisan Tumult on the Floor: The Speakership Elections of 1849 and 1855–1856 151
13. Chapter 7. The Speakership and the Rise of the Republican Party 193
14. Chapter 8. Caucus Governance and the Emergence of the Organizational Cartel, 1861–1891 241
15. Chapter 9. The Organizational Cartel Persists, 1891–2011 274
16. Chapter 10. Conclusion 303
17. Appendixes 323
18. References 421
19. Index 439