There is no formula for becoming humble—not for individuals, and not for nations.Benjamin Franklin’s dilemma—one he passed on to the young United States—was how to achieve both greatness and humility at once. The humility James Madison learned as a legislator helped him to mold a nation, despite his reputation as a meek, timid, and weak man. The humility of Abigail Adams fed her impossible resilience. Humility of all kinds is deeply ingrained in our American DNA. O...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham presents “a nimble examination of how American leaders . . . have wrestled with God personally and publicly” (USA Today)—now featuring a new Afterword by the author“A revealing and useful primer on an important, timely, and often volatile topic.”—Chicago TribuneAt a time when our country seems divided by extremism, American Gospel draws...

Pulitzer Prize WinnerNational Book Critics Circle Award WinnerIn a masterly work, award-winning author Garry Wills shows how Lincoln reached back to the Declaration of Independence to write the greatest speech in the nation’s history.The power of words has rarely been given a more compelling demonstration than in the Gettysburg Address. Lincoln was asked to memorialize the gruesome battle. Instead he gave the whole n...

"A fine, invaluable book. . . . It is always instructive to study Lincoln, but now is a particularly good time to consider his devotion to words." —Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post Book WorldFor Abraham Lincoln, whether he was composing love letters, speeches, or legal arguments, words mattered. In Lincoln, acclaimed biographer Fred Kaplan explores the life of America's 16th president through his use of language both as a ve...

In this “triumph of learning and understanding” (James Grant, author of John Adams: A Party of One**), the comprehensive biography of Samuel Adams, the moral compass of the American Revolution. Perfect for fans of Walter Isaacson and David McCullough.**Long overlooked, Samuel Adams was, according to Thomas Jefferson, “truly the man of the Revolution.” Now, with eloquence and insight, Ira Stoll effortlessly illustrates how crucial Adams was...

PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • In a grand and immemsely readable synthesis of historical, political, cultural, and economic analysis, a prize-winning historian describes the events that made the American Revolution. Gordon S. Wood depicts a revolution that was about much more than a break from England, rather it transformed an almost feudal society into a democratic one, whose emerging realities sometimes baffled and disappointed its founding fathers.

**A New York Times bestseller!"Of those writing about the founding fathers, [Gordon Wood] is quite simply the best." —The Philadelphia Inquirer**In this brilliantly illuminating group portrait of the men who came to be known as the Founding Fathers, the incomparable Gordon Wood has written a book that seriously asks, What made these men great, and shows us, among many other things, just how much character did in fact matter.The life of each—Washing...

“A vivid portrait…and thoughtful consideration of George Washington’s wisdom that couldn’t be timelier” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). A revealing look at the first President’s Farewell Address, a still-relevant warning against partisan politics and foreign entanglements.George Washington’s Farewell Address was a prophetic letter he wrote to his fellow citizens and signed from a “parting friend,” addressing the forces he feared could destroy our democra...

“A tour de force. . . . No one has ever written a book on the Declaration quite like this one.” —Gordon S. Wood, New York Review of BooksOur Declaration has already come to be regarded as a seminal work that reinterprets the promise of American democracy through our founding text. On the 250th anniversary of the Declaration and with over a decade of hindsight, renowned political philosopher Danielle Allen recontextualizes her revelatory book with ...

The First American. Frontiersman and backwoods attorney. Teller of bawdy tales and a spellbinding orator. A champion of liberty some called a would-be tyrant. Savior of the Union and the Great Emancipator. All these are Abraham Lincoln -- in his time America's most admired and reviled leader, and still our nation's most enigmatic and captivating hero.Timed to complement the new motion picture Lincoln, directed by Steven Spielberg, Lincoln: A President for the Ages...

The culture wars have distorted the dramatic story of how Americans came to worship freely. Many activists on the right maintain that the United States was founded as a “Christian nation.” Many on the left contend that the Founders were secular or Deist and that the First Amendment was designed to boldly separate church and state throughout the land. None of these claims are true, argues Beliefnet.com editor in chief Steven Waldman. With refreshing objectivity, Waldman narrates the real st...

A revealing look at the true beginning of American politicsUntil recently rescued by David McCullough, John Adams has always been overshadowed by Washington and Jefferson. Volatile, impulsive, irritable, and self-pitying, Adams seemed temperamentally unsuited for the presidency. Yet in many ways he was the perfect successor to Washington in terms of ability, experience, and popularity.Possessed of a far-ranging intelligence, Adams took office amid the birth...