Independence Day
America!
Instead of my usual July 4 musings on historical counterfactuals, let’s talk about some good books on American history. I’d say the key books I’ve read are:
— Gordon Wood’s The Radicalism of the American Revolution.
— James McPherson’s Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era.
— Eric Foner’s Reconstruction: America’s Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877.
— My understanding is that the professional consensus has turned against it, but I still thought Charles Beard’s An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States was and is fascinating.
— V.O. Key’s Southern Politics in State and Nation and Theda Skocpol’s Protecting Soldiers and Mothers: The Political Origins of Social Policy in United States are arguably more political science than history, but they’re both great.
Those are more-or-less all standard classic works as I understand it. Jean Edward Smith’s Grant and Eric Rauchway’s Blessed Among Nations: How the World Made America and Robert Caro’s Lyndon Johnson biography would be my top selections in the “books I wasn’t assigned in college” category.
35 Responses to “Independence Day”
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July 4th, 2009 at 8:49 am
“Robert Caro’s Lyndon Johnson biography would be my top selections in the “books I wasn’t assigned in college” category.”
The shame is that if Caro’s long awaited final LBJ book on the Presidential years had come out six months ago, the folks in the WH would have read it, and it might have influenced their thinking in such a manner that they would be actually be able to pass constructive legislation to solve pressing national problems, rather than pursuing the insane Carter-ite strategies they have spent the past 6 months doing.
I mean, seriously, doesn’t the WH get that if they don’t solve the banking mess ASAP by any means possible that they’re the ones who will be dealing with the fallout? Don’t they get that if they don’t pass a good healthcare bill that is designed to be politically popular after passage, they’re the ones who will be dealing with the fallout?
All I’m asking of the WH is to do what’s in their own political interests. It’s not often that a WH’s political interests align with the public good, but that’s the moment we’re currently living in. They’re going to be there for the next 8 years – they ought to do things now to make their own lives easier.
Also, any way we could get Harry Reid to read Master of the Senate? He might actually find it helpful.
July 4th, 2009 at 8:55 am
“America!”
Fuck yeah!
July 4th, 2009 at 9:00 am
Also, who knew that Hedo was a Tory?
Spurning the USA and running away to Canada at this time of year is so eighteenth century…
July 4th, 2009 at 9:13 am
It takes most folks more than six months to read one of Caro’s books.
July 4th, 2009 at 9:23 am
“It takes most folks more than six months to read one of Caro’s books.”
Oh, good lord. Have you read them? If you’re into American politics from a lefty perspective, they’re incredible page turners.
I’ve finished each of Caro’s books within 48 hours after purchasing them. They’re like Harry Potter for poli-geeks.
July 4th, 2009 at 9:33 am
Aww….I was kind of looking forward to the counterfactuals.
TNC spent a good bit of time analyzing the McPherson and Foner books this past month.
July 4th, 2009 at 9:37 am
Re Matthew’s comment “My understanding is that the professional consensus has turned against it, but I still thought Charles Beard’s An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States was and is fascinating. ”
—————
Actually, that idea re “consensus” may not be true. Robert McGuire has reopened the debate with his study “To Form a More Perfect Union: A NEW Economic Interpretation of the United States Constitution”
See http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/25061/subject/EconomicFinancialHistory/?view=usa&ci=9780195139709
July 4th, 2009 at 9:42 am
Oh I guess I will have to go somewhere else for my anti-nationalism today. One way to look at the 4th is that it channels our negative instincts toward fireworks and parties rather than toward invading countries. Plus it gives us liberals a chance to pretend that we love our country the same way conservatives do.
July 4th, 2009 at 9:59 am
My two recommendations: Sean Wilentz’s “The Rise of American Democracy” and “This Republic of Suffering” by Drew Gilpin Faust.
July 4th, 2009 at 10:12 am
“One way to look at the 4th is that it channels our negative instincts toward fireworks and parties rather than toward invading countries.”
Fuck that.
Let’s invade Canada to get Hedo back.
July 4th, 2009 at 10:19 am
Also, any way we could get Harry Reid to read Master of the Senate? He might actually find it helpful.
Bwahahaha. That’s very funny. Harry Reid is a spineless stooge for interests much more powerful than himself. It’s not like he really wants to be a powerful titan of American politics but just hasn’t read the right manual for how to accomplish that, i.e. an (excellent) biography of Lyndon Johnson.
Master of the Senate is a biography of a political genius at the top of his game. Harry Reid is more akin to the lesser lights whom Johnson manipulates with supreme dexterity.
July 4th, 2009 at 10:19 am
I’m just about to finish _The Radicaliism of the America Revolution_. I’m traveling today (and I’m out of the country), so maybe I’ll finish it on the 4th!
Going to try to do both the Foner and the McPherson, in fact, later this summer.
Is Sean Wilentz’s book from a couple years ago– _The Age of American Democracy_ or something like that — worth my time? It’s rather thick.
July 4th, 2009 at 10:22 am
Oh, just noticed someone recommended the Wilentz — cool.
Also, I second his recommendation of _This Republic of Suffering_ … So good, and shouldn’t take more than a day or so to read. TNC is currently reading it.
July 4th, 2009 at 10:28 am
“Bwahahaha. That’s very funny. Harry Reid is a spineless stooge for interests much more powerful than himself. It’s not like he really wants to be a powerful titan of American politics but just hasn’t read the right manual for how to accomplish that, i.e. an (excellent) biography of Lyndon Johnson.”
Well, fascinatingly, LBJ was also a spineless stooge for interests much more powerful than himself for much of his career. That description is perfect for the decades of his ascent to power.
Then when LBJ finally got into a position of power, he suddenly switched his stripes and actually started moving the levers of government to work for the public good in an amazingly effective way.
The LBJ story is so fascinating precisely because of the arc he followed in his career, from spineless stooge to messiah.
July 4th, 2009 at 10:28 am
Adding to the festive air of this holiday, here is the very bitchy New York Times gloating in public over how the Washington Post stepped in shit with its “paid access” Salon idea:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/04/business/media/04post.html?hp
Some excerpts:
“The fact that it was Politico that broke this story only added to the sting. Started by two former Post reporters, Politico has become a serious competitor right on The Post’s inside-the-Beltway turf, and now has caught the paper on a fundamental lapse in the wall between church and state. In the increasingly heated race between the mainstream media and newer, digitally enabled ones, much of the remaining competitive edge for legacy media derives from a perception that they adhere to more rigorous publishing standards.
Oops.”
“The [Wash Post] reporters, no doubt, are looking forward to the note in Sunday’s paper. But they are also staring down the prospect of serving as a punch line in Beltway circles for many years to come. The president’s press secretary, Robert Gibbs, has already obliged by wondering aloud at a news conference whether he could afford to take a question from Michael Shear, a Post reporter. “
July 4th, 2009 at 10:30 am
America! Brotherhood, from sea to shining sea!
July 4th, 2009 at 10:37 am
Then when LBJ finally got into a position of power, he suddenly switched his stripes and actually started moving the levers of government to work for the public good in an amazingly effective way.
Caro’s conclusion about LBJ’s career trajectory is precisely the opposite. At all times Johnson was solely interested in maximizing his own power (and personal wealth). In the 1930s, that was to be accomplished by serving as the loyal Roosevelt lieutenant. In the 1940s, that was accomplished by cultivating the trust and council of the newly-wealthy Brown brothers. In the 1950s, power could be had by obtaining the trust of Richard Russell and the Eisenhower administration. And as his Presidential aspirations geared up, further power required moves toward civil rights.
None of this is remotely explained by Johnson “switching his stripes” at any time. He was always the same: a man who could read the political situation, most importantly its dynamic nature, and realize where the power lies right now and also several moves down the road and adopt his strategy accordingly.
July 4th, 2009 at 10:47 am
Also, any way we could get Harry Reid to read Master of the Senate? He might actually find it helpful.
I’m not sure how useful it would be to Reid. He is who he is, low key respectful style and all — very much in the Mansfield and Mitchell tradition — while Lyndon’s strong-arm bullying tactics were unique to him and were effective, for a while. LBJ had no problem working closely with a moderate-conservative Ike in crafting moderate, uncontroversial compromise legislation in the 50s, such as the toothless CR bill of 57.
Reid, by contrast, has the challenge of trying to achieve a major break through on healthcare at a time when the public is ready to see major change but as the oppo party utterly refuses to cooperate with the majority, all while the serious economic situation still may need major adjustment. No such comparable major domestic pressures faced Lyndon and Ike back then. They had only a nascent CR movement to deal with, and the economic problems of the late 50s paled in comparison to today.
That said, the Caro books on LBJ are some of the best written and researched history of the past 40 years. The much more in depth and gifted Caro leaves his major Lyndon competitor, the good but plodding Rbt Dallek, in the dust. His v.2 on the Lyndon vs Coke Stevenson 1948 stolen senate election was an instant classic, and no doubt upset a lot of the Johnson insiders and apologists. The last volume on the senate years could have been pared down a bit, and I think he somewhat exaggerated the importance of the 57 CR bill. Perhaps Caro intended some partial “make up” to the Johnson backers after the tougher v.2.
July 4th, 2009 at 10:48 am
“Caro’s conclusion about LBJ’s career trajectory is precisely the opposite.”
Disagree pretty strongly.
Caro is much friendlier to LBJ in Master of the Senate than in earlier volumes precisely because of the rationale I outline.
And I’d bet dollars to donuts that Caro will be even friendlier to LBJ in the final volume.
I do agree with much of your comment. I agree that LBJ was always playing the game, but I also think (and think Caro thinks) that once he’d finally achieved real power, he was determined to leave his mark in the interests of the public good, not in the interests of the backers who had put him in power.
July 4th, 2009 at 11:07 am
At all times Johnson was solely interested in maximizing his own power (and personal wealth).
Check. With an emphasis on the wielding of power, such as the peculiar pleasure he received in humiliating subordinates. Financial enrichment was important, but not sufficient to Lyndon.
LBJ was also a spineless stooge for interests much more powerful than himself for much of his career. That description is perfect for the decades of his ascent to power. Then when LBJ finally got into a position of power, he suddenly switched his stripes and actually started moving the levers of government to work for the public good in an amazingly effective way.
In Lyndon’s case, helping the two was not a mutually exclusive proposition. Pre-presidency, he could and did help many of his poorer constituents in those 11 yrs in the House, for instance in bringing electrification and other fed projects to his district, which also employed many. At the same time, he always looked out to take care of his financial benefactors, namely Geo Brown and his B&R Co, as well as the major TX oil & gas interests who also helped fuel Johnson’s political ascent. And this continued well into his presidency. The VN War, with all the construction contracts to be had in building military bases, led to the massive enrichment of Brown & Root such that it went from being a local TX construction co to a major national conglomerate.
July 4th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
I also enjoyed Jean Edward Smith’s bio of Ulysses S. Grant. He also wrote a biography of John Marshall, which I recommend.
I highly recommend The Genius of the People by Charles L. Mee, about the Constitutional Convention. You’ll have to find it in a library or used bookstore, though.
Angel in the Whirlwind by Benson Bobrick is a good, general history of the Revolution. I also recommend Willard Sterne Randall’s biography of George Washington, Ron Chernow’s of Alexander Hamilton, and H. W. Brands’ on Franlin, The First American. American Sphinx by Joseph Ellis is a very good examination of Thomas Jefferson – considerable flaws and all.
The Founders are a fascinating group of individuals who are every bit as dangerous today as they were in their lifetimes. That, I think, is why we have so resolutely reduced them to cartoon pitchmen.
July 4th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
My respect to you, sir. I read them pretty quickly myself, but if you got through The Powerbroker in 48 hours you know how to read fast.
July 4th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
Speaking of Jean Edward Smith, his recent one volume FDR is recommended.
James Carroll’s House of War, from a few yrs ago, is an excellent study of the history of the Pentagon and how it has wielded its significant power over US foreign policy and presidents since FDR, with emphasis on the Cold War. Outstanding writer, with a liberal pov and whose father was the first head of the Defense Intell Agency.
Questions for all the history/bio readers here:
1) Anyone know of a good, and recent, pres’l bio of Jimmy Carter?
2) Re Taylor Branch’s 3 volume study of “The King Years”: any contrarian views about this well-reviewed series, especially vol 2?
July 4th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
I’ll also throw out a recommendation for Jack Rakove’s Original Meanings, a wonderful book on the making of the Constitution. For an older (but still great) treatment of the intellectual context of the Revolution, Bernard Bailyn’s Ideological Origins of the American Revolution is also definitely worth a read.
July 4th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Let’s invade Canada to get Hedo back.
Oh, you jest, but the last time you tried, it didn’t turn out so well.
July 4th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
Nixonland.
Age of Betrayal: The Triumph of Money in
Politics, 1865-1900, by Jack Beatty. A good guilded age summary.
Wodd’s Radicalism of Revolution, as Matt said.
July 4th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
Caro is much friendlier to LBJ in Master of the Senate than in earlier volumes precisely because of the rationale I outline.
I think that’s because Caro understands politics as well as anyone, and if a politician is accomplishing what you want him to accomplish that’s all you can ask for. I don’t think Caro’s take on Johnson the man is any different in Master of the Senate, but in the 1950s his actions (largely) meet with Caro’s approval.
July 4th, 2009 at 8:44 pm
Thanks for the Grant book recommendation. I think I’ll probably read that.
In other news, a patriotic black bear marched past the American flag in our backyard this evening.
Happy Independence Day!
July 4th, 2009 at 11:01 pm
I’ll second Bailyn’s Ideological Origins. A great study though not exactly a “quick read”. I recently read David Hackett Fischer’s Washington’s Crossing and I thought it was fantastic. I’m from NJ so it was great to read a military history that took place in my backyard. I will be taking on Wood’s Radicalism shortly, after I finish Edmund Morgan’s, American Slavery, American Freedom. I’ve been dying to read at least one of Caro’s LBJ books, as well as his bio of Robert Moses.
July 4th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
Bailyn and Wood are both excellent, but keep in mind that in the last few decades ideological interpretations of the American Revolution have faced some significant challenges. I think it was Joyce Appleby who remarked about Gordon Wood’s masterpiece “The Creation of the American Republic 1776-1787″ that throughout his narrative of the period Wood seems to have forgotten that there was a war happening. (Still great reading, though!)
I’d also recommend Fred Anderson’s “The Crucible of War” for a different and interesting take on things.
July 5th, 2009 at 2:32 am
I second your choice of Gordon Wood.
If you like Beardean history, you can’t do better than Merrill Jensen’s *The Founding of a Nation* and Forrest McDonald’s *E Pluribus Unum*.
You might also check out Ray Raphael’s *People’s History of the American Revolution*. He argues that the real, forgotten American revolution started in 1774, when the lower houses in Massachusetts and several other colonies (especially in New England) reformed themselves as revolutionary conventions on the pattern of 1689 and met without approval of the royal governors. Local committees of public safety acted as de facto governments as the royal courts officially shut down, and sons of liberty drove away royal tax collectors. In the spring of 1775, Massachusetts illegal government began to form a standing army. The events of April 1775, conventionally identified as the beginning of the Revolution, were actually an attempted counter-revolution against the real, popular Revolution of 1774 (the actual armed conflict was sparked by a British attempt to land troops and seize an armory from the revolutionary government).
July 5th, 2009 at 5:22 am
I found Caro so hostile to Johnson he actually made me more sympathetic to Johnson, Caro doesn’t communicate that Johnson’s 1948 opponent was a Dixiecrat for example. Key’s Southern Politics is a great argument for disciplined political parties.
July 5th, 2009 at 11:33 am
I would recommend Founding Brothers by Joseph J Ellis, which is a brisk and bracing examination of how the personal relationships between the FOunders shaped the Constitution.
Also, Nixon Agonistes. The best book on American politics I have ever read. Garry Wills is your greatest living historian – read him!
July 5th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Re Adam at 33: “Garry Wills is your greatest living historian – read him!”
——-
Oh, bullshit.
July 6th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
What about Grant’s memoir? I loved it, it made for a great audiobook as he was a surprisingly witty guy.
If anyone decides to consume it as an audiobook, though, make sure you get a decent narrator!