Leadership
Top 10 Government Showdowns
In honor of the debt-ceiling drama playing out here in Washington, Time Magazine has put together a list of Top 10 Government Showdowns in American history. I was initially delighted that the subjects of all three of my books made the list (indicated below). Then I started wondering about the quality of the list, and…
Read MoreBurr v. Hamilton: 207 years ago
The New York Times today commemorated the 207th anniversary of the Burr-Hamilton duel with an account of a journey to Weehawken that I took with the Times reporter, James Barron. (Purists will note that the true anniversary of the duel is tomorrow, July 11.) The journey, and Mr. Barron’s excellent account, reflect the extent to…
Read MoreThe Fourth and Thomas Jefferson
What better way to prepare for the Fourth of July, which celebrates Thomas Jefferson’s brilliant Declaration of Independence, than to reflect on the never-ending dispute over whether Jefferson fathered from one to four children borne by his slave, Sally Hemings. The accusation began with a scandal-mongering newsman in 1802. James Callender, a Scot, had been…
Read MoreThe (Ab)Uses of History
As we enter the presidential campaign season, pity the Founding Fathers. Among the recent incantations of the Founding Fathers by Republican hopefuls, we find: Mitt Romney, with characteristic vagueness, launched his campaign by “hailing” the Founding Fathers (attaboy, fathers!). Michelle Bachmann was delighted to proclaim that the Founding Fathers ended slavery (boy, is Abe Lincoln…
Read MoreFive Amendments That Would Surprise the Framers
Yesterday, after I delivered a talk on the Constitutional Convention of 1787, a gentleman in the book-signing line asked an interesting question: “Which of the constitutional amendments would be most surprising to the Framers?” I had to stop and think. Then I said, “The Prohibition amendment.” [That’s No. 18, for those who are keeping score…
Read MoreBlagojevich and the Founders
It’s open season on the Founders. Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN), who is looking at a run for president as an Extreme Right-wing choice, has already revealed that she became a conservative in reaction against the “snotty” Aaron Burr. Upon examination, it turned out that she really was reacting against Gore Vidal’s novel, Burr, and its…
Read MoreMessing Around With Your Votes, Part I
Two recent developments illustrate how the democracy we enjoy here in the Citadel of Liberty is both flawed and fragile. First, a movement is gathering force for a back-door change to the largely indefensible practice of electing our presidents through the electoral college. Second, a contrary movement is sweeping the states to require tough voter…
Read MoreJudging a Book By Its Title: Forgetting The Forgotten Founder
In my experience, choosing a book title is an agonizing process. The title must perform several functions at once: It must give the reader some idea what is inside the covers, and do so (as my spiritual adviser Paul Dickson insists) at a distance of ten feet from the bookstore shelf. These days, it must…
Read MoreHollywood History
I was both pleased and disappointed with the new Robert Redford-directed movie about the conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln, The Conspirator. I need to lower my expectations about such treatments, like the Alexander Hamilton documentary on PBS which I recently wrote about. I need to view them like the dog who talks — it’s not…
Read MoreStill Looking for Alexander
I applaud those who try to bring history to life and share it with the largest possible audiences. But it’s not an automatic pass. You still need to tell the stories and tell them well. By those standards, Monday night’s PBS special Rediscovering Alexander Hamilton probably gets a C, mostly for good intentions, as I explicate over…
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