George Washington by James MacGregor Burns and Susan Dunn In
this thoughtful and incisive biography, Burns and Dunn dissect the
strengths and weaknesses of Washington’s presidential leadership, from
his lasting foreign and economic policies to his polarizing
denunciation of political parties and his public silence about slavery.
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John Adams by John Patrick Diggins Perhaps no U.S.
president was less suited for the practice of politics than John Adams.
A gifted philosopher who helped lead the movement for American
independence from its inception, Adams was unprepared for the realities
of party politics that had already begun to dominate the new country
before Washington left office. But in this program historian John
Patrick Diggins reveals a John Adams whose reputation for snobbery and
failure are wholly undeserved, and whose prescient modernism still
holds valuable lessons for us as we strive to fulfill the Founding
Fathers’ vision of a fair republic and just society. He is, in
Diggins’s view, the president who comes closest to Plato’s ideal of a
philosopher-king.
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Thomas Jefferson by Joyce Appleby Few presidents
embody the American spirit as fully as Thomas Jefferson. His vision and
unrivaled political imagination account for the almost utopian zeal of
his two administrations. However, contradictions in his populism make
Jefferson the most controversial of presidents: he spoke of inalienable
human rights, but he taught his daughters that women were created for
men’s pleasure, and he believed that whites and blacks could never
coexist peacefully in freedom. Jefferson described his election to the
presidency as a second American Revolution. For the first time,
historian Joyce Appleby rigorously explores this claim. She argues that
our third president did, in fact, radically transform the political
landscape of the United States by limiting the power of the government
and eradicating the elitist practices inherited from the colonial era.
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James Madison by Gary Wills The eternal conundrum
about James Madison—a key framer of the U.S. Constitution, a formidable
political figure, and a man of tremendous intellect and foresight—is
why, when he became chief executive, did he steer the ship of state
with such an unsteady hand? Why was this man so lackluster and
ineffectual in his tenure as president? Renowned historian Garry
Wills outlines the confluence of unfortunate circumstance, misplaced
temperament, and outright poor judgment that bogged down Madison’s
presidency.
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The Founding Fathers
is available at all fine bookstores. Here are some links to
help you.