Books with author Arthur Meier Schlesinger Jr.

A comprehensive account of the rise and fall of one of the major shapers of American foreign policyOn the eve of his inauguration as President, Woodrow Wilson commented, "It would be the irony of fate if my administration had to deal chiefly with foreign affairs." As America was drawn into the Great War in Europe, Wilson used his scholarship, his principles, and the political savvy of his advisers to overcome his ignorance of world affairs and lead the country out of isolationism. The product of his efforts—his vision of the United States as a nation uniquely suited for moral leadership by virtue of its democratic tradition—is a view of foreign policy that is still in place today.Acclaimed historian and Pulitzer Prize finalist H. W. Brands offers a clear, well-informed, and timely account of Wilson's unusual route to the White House, his campaign against corporate interests, his struggles with rivals at home and allies abroad, and his decline in popularity and health following the rejection by Congress of his League of Nations. Wilson emerges as a fascinating man of great oratorical power, depth of thought, and purity of intention.

A bestselling historian examines the life of a Founding Father.Renowned historian and social commentator Garry Wills takes a fresh look at the life of James Madison, from his rise to prominence in the colonies through his role in the creation of the Articles of Confederation and the first Constitutional Congress. Madison oversaw the first foreign war under the constitution, and was forced to adjust some expectations he had formed while drafting that document. Not temperamentally suited to be a wartime President, Madison nonetheless confronted issues such as public morale, internal security, relations with Congress, and the independence of the military. Wills traces Madison's later life during which, like many recent Presidents, he enjoyed greater popularity than while in office.

The former senator and presidential candidate offers a provocative new assessment of the first "national security president"James Monroe is remembered today primarily for two things: for being the last of the "Virginia Dynasty"—following George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison—and for issuing the Monroe Doctrine, his statement of principles in 1823 that the western hemisphere was to be considered closed to European intervention. But Gary Hart sees Monroe as a president ahead of his time, whose priorities and accomplishments in establishing America's "national security" have a great deal in common with chief executives of our own time.Unlike his predecessors Jefferson and Madison, Monroe was at his core a military man. He joined the Continental Army at the age of seventeen and served with distinction in many pivotal battles. (He is prominently featured at Washington's side in the iconic painting Washington Crossing the Delaware.) And throughout his career as a senator, governor, ambassador, secretary of state, secretary of war, and president, he never lost sight of the fact that without secure borders and friendly relations with neighbors, the American people could never be truly safe in their independence. As president he embarked on an ambitious series of treaties, annexations, and military confrontations that would secure America's homeland against foreign attack for nearly two hundred years. Hart details the accomplishments and priorities of this forward-looking president, whose security concerns clearly echo those we face in our time."A well-written, useful précis of Monroe’s life and career." - Kirkus Reviews

An illuminating analysis of the man whose name is synonymous with American democracyFew presidents have embodied the American spirit as fully as Thomas Jefferson. He was the originator of so many of the founding principles of American democracy. Politically, he shuffled off the centralized authority of the Federalists, working toward a more diffuse and minimalist leadership. He introduced the bills separating church and state and mandating free public education. He departed from the strict etiquette of his European counterparts, appearing at state dinners in casual attire and dispensing with hierarchical seating arrangements. Jefferson initiated the Lewis and Clark expedition and seized on the crucial moment when Napoleon decided to sell the Louisiana Territory, thus extending the national development. In this compelling examination, distinguished historian Joyce Appleby captures all of the richness of Jefferson's character and accomplishments.

From his entrance into Democratic leadership circles in the 1950s through his years in the Kennedy administration and up until his last days, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., was always at the vital center of American politics. For more than half a century, the master historian recorded his experiences and opinions in journals that together form an intimate chronicle of life at the highest levels of American politics and culture in postwar America. This extraordinary volume contains his candid thoughts about the signal events of our time, from the Bay of Pigs to the devastating assassinations of the 1960s, from Vietnam to Watergate, and from the fall of the Soviet Union to Bush v. Gore. Filled with Schlesinger's trademark acerbic wit and tremendous insight, Journals is a fitting tribute to a most remarkable American life.

An American icon and hero faces a nation--and a world--in transitionA bona-fide American hero at the close of World War II, General Dwight D. Eisenhower rode an enormous wave of popularity into the Oval Office seven years later. Though we may view the Eisenhower years through a hazy lens of 1950s nostalgia, historians consider his presidency one of the least successful. At home there was civil rights unrest, McCarthyism, and a deteriorating economy; internationally, the Cold War was deepening. But despite his tendency toward "brinksmanship," Ike would later be revered for "keeping the peace." Still, his actions and policies at the onset of his career, covered by Tom Wicker, would haunt Americans of future generations.

Very good/good, stated 1st edition. Hardcover. Publisher: Chelsea House Publisher: 1972. Book in as new condition except for minor soiling to fore edges and bottom corner edge with former price rubberstamped and fêted on half title page. Dustcover shows yellowing with age and moderate edge wear, resulting in 8 or 9. Quarter inch tears and for quarter inch chips, inclusive.In very good/good, unread condition, not price clipped, not library edition, not remainder marked. Seller is a lifelong book collector and each edition comes directly from his 35,000+ volume collection! All orders are shipped every business day using USPS Media Mail for all U S. orders. Orders shipped from Grover Beach, California. 93433-1585, Thank You, for your business!!

A landmark event in the history of American letters: the publication of Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.'s extraordinary, revelatory, never-before-seen journals. For more than a half century, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., has been at the vital center of American political and cultural life. From his entrance into political leadership circles in the 1950s through his years in the Kennedy administration and up to the present, he has been that rare thing-a great historian who has enjoyed an extraordinary eyewitness vantage on history as it has been made. On intimate terms with many of the most prominent political, cultural, and intellectual figures of the last fifty years, he is a man whose proximity to power has never obscured his appreciation for the reality of those who don't have it. For that capacity for empathy and for much else, he has been called American liberalism's greatest voice. For nearly fifty years, from the early 1950s through the late 1990s, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., recorded his experiences and opinions in his journals. Edited by his two oldest sons into a beautifully packaged two-volume work, the journals offer remarkably fresh and lucid observations on a half century of public life and a rare and privileged view into the mind of one of America's most distinguished men of letters. They form an intimate history of postwar America, from Schlesinger's days working on both of Adlai Stevenson's presidential campaigns and his years in the Kennedy White House through to the Clinton administration. These are not personal journals of the "where I had lunch" variety; this is one of twentieth-century America's greatest moral and intellectual forces chronicling the big stories of his and our time, usually from the inside out. Their publication is truly a landmark event and a fitting opportunity to celebrate a most extraordinary American life.