I am an American historian and author of Unlikely Allies: How a Merchant, a Playwright, and a Spy Saved the American Revolution and Without Precedent: Chief Justice Marshall and His Times. I teach constitutional law and history at the University of California Hastings Law School, where I am the Albert Abramson Professor. I have a new book on American history from the War of 1812 to the Civil War coming out in 2022.
I wrote...
Without Precedent: Chief Justice John Marshall and His Times
By
Joel Richard Paul
What is my book about?
No member of America’s Founding Generation had a greater impact on the Constitution and our republic than John Marshall, and no one did more to preserve the delicate unity of the fledgling United States. For the first half-century of the United States, Marshall was at the center of every important event. He was at Washington’s side at Valley Forge. He fought to ratify the Constitution and led the Federalists in Congress. As a diplomat and secretary of state, he defended American sovereignty against France and Britain, counseled President John Adams, and oversaw the completion of Washington, D.C. As the leading southern Federalist, he rivaled his cousin Thomas Jefferson in political influence. And as Chief Justice, he elevated the Supreme Court as a co-equal branch of the federal government and breathed life into the Constitution.
This is the story of how a rough-cut frontiersman raised with little formal education rose to become one of the nation’s preeminent lawyers and leaders. With cunning, imagination, and grace, Marshall forged a stronger union and shaped the nation we have become.
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The Books I Picked & Why
Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787
By
Gordon S. Wood
Why this book?
This was my favorite book in college and remains a treasured part of my library. It’s a classic that reinterpreted the American Revolution. Gordon Wood examines how the vices of the British parliamentary system led the founding generation to a revolutionary new theory of government and to the formation of the American Constitution. It’s a magisterial work about the character of America.
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The Minutemen and Their World
By
Robert A. Gross
Why this book?
This is a delightfully engaging book about Concord, Massachusetts, on the eve of the American Revolution. Robert Gross’ writing is a joy to read. It brings to life the ordinary townspeople who became revolutionaries. Gross shows how shifting demographics and social structures shaped the movement towards Independence. When the book first appeared it represented a fresh new approach to writing social history, and it justifiably won the Bancroft Prize.
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The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution
By
Bernard Bailyn
Why this book?
Bernard Bailyn studied the political pamphlets that persuaded people that the Revolutionary War was worth fighting. Bailyn explains why a relatively minor British tax fanned the flames of revolution, and how profound political philosophy was translated into common language. This is an important book that reveals the origins of our revolution. There’s a good reason it won the Pulitzer Prize.
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Revolutionaries: A New History of the Invention of America
By
Jack N. Rakove
Why this book?
Stanford history professor Jack Rakove is one of the most original thinkers on American history, and this book is a richly textured dramatic portrait of the lives and contributions of the Founding Fathers. It’s fast-paced, colorful, and novelistic. It’s hard to set it aside.
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A History of the American Revolution
By
John R. Alden
Why this book?
If you want to read one comprehensive history of the Revolutionary War from start to finish, this is the book you should read. Alden has packed in all the important events and personalities from the French and Indian War through George Washington’s inauguration. It is the best, most richly detailed source I know for the remarkable story of how thirteen colonies defeated the world’s most powerful military and achieved something unprecedented – an independent democratic republic.
