James McDowell of Virginia

This biography examines the political journey of James McDowell, a Democratic governor from western Virginia during the Jacksonian Era. The journey was shaped by the crosscurrents of a national debate over slavery, democratic advances, and the Jackson’s controversial agenda. A progressive, he joined the state’s House of Delegates in 1833, pushing for the end of slavery in the Commonwealth, economic improvements, and a system of public education. Called an abolitionist, he ended his anti-slavery