Category: The Founding
John Adams by David McCullough
Overview (from Amazon.com)
In this powerful, epic biography, David McCullough unfolds the adventurous life journey of John Adams, the brilliant, fiercely independent, often irascible, always honest Yankee patriot who spared nothing in his zeal for the American Revolution; who rose to become the second president of the United States and saved the country from blundering into an unnecessary war; who was learned beyond all but a few and regarded by some as “out of his senses”; and whose marriage to the wise and valiant Abigail Adams is one of the moving love stories in American history.This is history on a grand scale — a book about politics and war and social issues, but also about human nature, love, religious faith, virtue, ambition, friendship, and betrayal, and the far-reaching consequences of noble ideas. Above all, John Adams is an enthralling, often surprising story of one of the most important and fascinating Americans who ever lived.
Why the President Should Read This Book
John Adams, at least prior to the writing of this book, could have been termed “The Forgotten Founder” as far as most Americans were concerned. Washington, Jefferson, Madison–these are the names we think of when we think of … Read the rest of this entry »James Madison: The Founding Father by Robert Allen Rutland
General Description
In this very human portrait of Madison and his role in the early, problem-fraught years of the new republic, University of Virginia professor Rutland, editor of the Madison Papers, not ony depicts him as a fervent patriot, combining “erudition and common sense,” but recounts his goals and frustrations, victories and defeats, along with frequent incapacitation because of bad health. Most significant were his contributions as chief framer of the Constitution and his defense of it as coauthor with Hamilton of the Federalist Papers. Madison and Jefferson (with whom he shared views on the need for an educated public and the gradual abolition of slavery) founded the Republican Party in opposition to Hamilton’s Anglophile Federalist Party, which favored monied interests. Emerging from early retirement on his Virginia plantation, he helped assure Jefferson’s election to the presidency and subsequently served for two terms as secretary of state. His wife Dolley acted as hostess for the widowed president as she did during her husband’s White House tenure, despite the disruptions of the ineptly conducted War of 1812. Illustrations not seen by PW. Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.Why the President Should Read This Book
In order to properly interpret the … Read the rest of this entry »Common Sense by Thomas Paine
General Description
“Common Sense was a pamphlet written by Thomas Paine. It was first published anonymously on January 9, 1776, during the American Revolution. Paine wrote it with editorial feedback from Benjamin Rush, who came up with the title. The document denounced British rule and, through its immense popularity, contributed to fomenting the American Revolution… Paine donated the copyright for Common Sense to the states, and as one biographer noted, Paine made nothing of the estimated 150,000 to 600,000 copies that were eventually printed (various sources disagree on the number of printed copies in Paine’s lifetime). In fact, he had to pay for the first printing himself.” (Source: wikipedia.org)“Rights of Man was written by Thomas Paine in 1791 as a reply to Reflections on the Revolution in France by Edmund Burke. It has been interpreted as a work defending the French Revolution, but it is also a seminal work embodying the ideas of liberty and human equality.” (Source: wikipedia.org)
About the Author
“Thomas Paine… was a pamphleteer, revolutionary, radical, liberal and intellectual. Born in Great Britain, he lived in America, having migrated to the American colonies just in time to take part in the American Revolution, mainly as the … Read the rest of this entry »Founding Brothers by Joseph J. Ellis
General Description (from Amazon.com)
In retrospect, it seems as if the American Revolution was inevitable. But was it? In Founding Brothers, Joseph J. Ellis reveals that many of those truths we hold to be self-evident were actually fiercely contested in the early days of the republic.Ellis focuses on six crucial moments in the life of the new nation, including a secret dinner at which the seat of the nation’s capital was determined–in exchange for support of Hamilton’s financial plan; Washington’s precedent-setting Farewell Address; and the Hamilton and Burr duel. Most interesting, perhaps, is the debate (still dividing scholars today) over the meaning of the Revolution. In a fascinating chapter on the renewed friendship between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson at the end of their lives, Ellis points out the fundamental differences between the Republicans, who saw the Revolution as a liberating act and hold the Declaration of Independence most sacred, and the Federalists, who saw the revolution as a step in the building of American nationhood and hold the Constitution most dear. Throughout the text, Ellis explains the personal, face-to-face nature of early American politics–and notes that the members of the revolutionary generation were conscious of the fact … Read the rest of this entry »
The American Revolution by Gordon S. Wood
General Description (from Amazon.com)
Gordon S. Wood’s The American Revolution, part of the Modern Library Chronicles series, is an erudite, concise summary of the events and circumstances surrounding the seminal conflict, both physical and philosophical, in American history. The Modern Library Chronicles are accessible-but-serious works of scholarship, meant to serve as introductions (or refresher courses) on large subjects for interested readers. The American Revolution is an excellent case in point. Wood deftly describes seeds of the Revolution, most notably disgruntlement on the colonists’ part brought about by increasingly maladroit and fiscally punishing British policies. He then follows the course of actual warfare and its aftermath, most interestingly the fraught, bitter battle to draw a governing blueprint for the new country. Wood breaks little new interpretive ground himself, here, but as a synthesizer (and amiable, skillful narrator/guide) he stands on high ground. –H. O’BillovitchWhy the President Should Read This Book
A good summary/overview of not just the war itself, but events leading up to it. While this is not a long, comprehensive, or extremely thorough history, it provides a good start to understanding the motivations of those who created this country.American Creation by Joseph J. Ellis
General Description (From Bookmarks Magazine)
Reviewers embraced American Creation for the same reason they enjoyed Ellis’s previous books: his treatment of the Founding Fathers is neither idolatrous nor iconoclastic. He portrays them as the fascinating, complex, and human characters they really were. Some historians disagreed with details of Ellis’s interpretation, but they tended to emphasize that, like the founders themselves, Ellis has created a useful framework in which the ideas of the Revolutionary period can be discussed. Ellis’s prose, on the other hand, did not inspire any comparisons with Thomas Jefferson’s; in fact, several reviewers suggested another round of editing. But all critics agreed that the author’s masterful handling of the material checked and balanced the occasional tyrannical sentence.
Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.Why the President Should Read It
This is not the book the President should read to learn about the Founding, but rather a book. While it is one of the better books chronicling the events comprising the beginning of the United States, no one book can get the job done. If you’re going to read 10 books about the Founding, this should be one of them. If you’re only going to read 5, … Read the rest of this entry »