US Presidents
April 30, 1789, when George Washington took the oath of office as the first president of the United States to the present — 47 presidencies have led the nation from its violent beginning through turbulent times, near-extinction, world triumph, and long domestic and international challenges. I realized how steadily I sold biographies and histories dealing with the US Presidents, and I thought I would begin on the ambitious project of all the books related to the subject that I stock. Here is the beginning of an ongoing work. I am including the necessary topics of spouses and general administration (not just the individual). Endlessly fascinating to the reader — and apparently inspiring to our best historians.
The listing is chronological, most recent to George Washington top to bottom of the page, with some books on leadership and so forth at the bottom. The most recent President, Donald Trump, is having many books published with political or polemical edges to them. The political books are listed on the Politics & Current Events page. For this page I will strive to select books on Trump that have a historical framework or methodology.
George Washington and the Creation of the American Republic
George Washington and the Creation of the American Republic
Washington’s strategic genius extended beyond war, laying the foundation for a powerful American Republic.
The twentieth-century publication of Washington's writings, and more recently the digital editions of his papers, have provided George Washington's biographers with increased access to the details of his life. Despite the availability of these materials, however, biographers continue to pay close attention to the years of the Revolution and his presidency, while quickly passing through the period between the Revolution and his call to the presidency.
Described by historians as the “Critical Years” (1781–1789), this was a period when the new nation stood on the precipice of anarchy and disunion. Although appearing occasionally during these years, Washington is portrayed as assiduously avoiding any direct involvement that might draw him into the political fray until he emerges, reluctantly, in Philadelphia to preside over the Constitutional Convention.
This is not the Washington revealed in his papers, or those of his political allies and enemies. Washington was a superb strategist and a skilled tactician. During these critical years between the end of the Revolution and the formation of the Union, Washington was deeply involved in land speculation, western expansion, scientific farming, canal building, political affairs, and family matters. While careful to husband his influence and maintain his Olympian stature, Washington deftly maneuvered to direct the nation toward a strong central government able to govern a “rising empire.” How he managed to do it is the subject of this book.