Great Books on Early America
David McCullough, Joseph Ellis, et al bring Revolution to Life
The most important period of American history is of course the era that started America on the road to nationhood. With due respect to those history enthusiasts who prefer the Civil War or World War II, the colonial era, particularly the American Revolution, is the area of study that no American should overlook.
Accordingly, here are some great books that no student of American history should be without:
John Adams by David McCullough
Paul Giamatti will soon bring the sometimes-pompous, always brilliant John Adams to cinematic life when HBO debuts John Adams in 2008, a miniseries inspired by David McCullough's bestselling and Pulitzer-winning biography of the second President.
McCullough's John Adams won widespread acclaim when it was published, and deservedly so. It is a remarkable portrait of an extraordinary and often under-appreciated Founding Father. John Adams was one of the brightest legal minds in colonial America and one of the most influential members of the Continental Congress. An indispensable diplomat, Adams secured much-needed Belgian aid for America's war effort and also helped Ben Franklin achieve French support for the United States.
As President, Adams steered the United States through international tensions, avoiding a costly war with France while keeping the U.S. a republic at home. McCullough makes the case that Adams's commitment to peace, coupled with an unfair electoral advantage given to the slave states of the South (thanks to the infamous 3/5ths compromise), cost him his reelection bid in 1800.
McCullough also brings to vivid life the characters of some-time friend, some-time enemy Thomas Jefferson and Abigail Adams, the genuine love of John's life.
1776 by David McCullough
This is by far the best book written on the most important year in United States history. Pulitzer Prize winning author David McCullough follows the tumultuous events of the year of America's independence with a gripping narrative that makes you forget you're reading a history book. McCullough begins with King George III pronouncing the colonies in rebellion and takes the reader through the heady days of the British evacuation of Boston, the publication of Common Sense, and the Declaration of Independence.
But then, things turn for the worse....and quickly...when the British savage George Washington's army in the Long Island campaign and take New York, threatening to sever the colonies in half. McCullough concludes his book with George Washington's desperate and ultimately successful New Jersey campaign, which began with an audacious raid against the Hessians in Trenton and ended with the Americans encamped in Morristown and the British forced to withdraw from New Jersey.
If you don't have 1776, get it - without delay.
George Washington's War by Bruce Chadwick
Like McCullough in 1776, Bruce Chadwick fixes his spotlight on the most pivotal leader of America's War for Independence, General George Washington. Had General Washington failed in his leadership of the Continental Army, the United States would've been stillborn, in spite of the prolific eloquence of Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson, the rabble-rousing of Sam Adams and Patrick Henry, and the gritty determination and sacrifice of common Americans throughout the colonies.
Success in the American Revolution came down to the leadership of George Washington, which Chadwick painstakingly shows with incredible detail and accuracy. So many of Washington's decisions, critical to the survival of the Continental Army, have been lost to popular memory. Thanks to Chadwick, they've been given a new lease on life - if only the average American will take the time to read the book. George Washington's War will leave you deeply appreciative of the Father of our Country.
Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis
Aside from the Revolution itself, the 1790s was the most important decade in early American history. And Pulitzer Prize winning author Joseph Ellis shows why in this extraordinary look at that period and the cast of characters that dominated it.
Ellis unapologetically focuses on the Founding Fathers, whom he appropriately calls "Founding Brothers" for their colorful interactions that very closely resemble sibling rivalries in the most dysfunctional families. This focus on the Founders contrasts with the new, revisionist history favored by the likes of Howard Zinn. Yet Ellis makes his case that the Founding Fathers' influence was genuine and real, and no amount of politically correct posturing or revisionist history will change that.
This book is a great read, and it provides much-needed insight on the Founders' struggles with some of the critical issues of early America, including slavery.
Rise to Rebellion and The Glorious Cause by Jeff Shaara
If nonfiction gets a little stale for you, you can always turn to one of the most successful and entertaining historical novelists in recent years. That novelist would be Jeff Shaara, son of the late Michael Shaara, who won the Pulitzer for his classic The Killer Angels, a novel of the Civil War battle at Gettysburg.
Jeff Shaara's two-volume set on the American Revolution begins with John Adams's participation in the trials from the 1770 Boston Massacre and ends with George Washington's 1783 Christmas homecoming at Mount Vernon. In between, readers are treated to a captivating drama that takes them to the parlors of London with Ben Franklin, the proceedings of the Continental Congress with John Adams, and the fields of battle with George Washington. It's a journey that's well worth your time.
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