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A Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for History
Winner of the New-York Historical Society American History Book Prize
A New York Times Bestseller
Selected as one of the Top 25 Books of 2009 by The Atlantic
"On every page of this book, Wood's subtlety and erudition show. Grand in scope and a landmark achievement of scholarship, Empire of Liberty is a tour de force, the culmination of a lifetime of brilliant thinking and writing."
--The New York Times Book Review
"Empire of Liberty will rightly take its place among the authoritative volumes in this important and influential series."
--The Washington Post
Introduction: Rip Van Winkle's America
1. Experiment in Republicanism
2. The Monarchical Republic
3. The Federalist Program
4. The Emergence of the Jeffersonian Republican Party
5. The French Revolution in America
6. John Adams and the Few and the Many
7. The Crisis of 1798-1799
8. The Jeffersonian Revolution of 1800
9. Republican Society
10. The Jeffersonian West
11. Law and an Independent Judiciary
12. Chief Justice John Marshall and the Origins of Judicial Review
13. Republican Reforms
14. Between Slavery and Freedom
15. The Rising Glory of America
16. Republican Religion
17. Republican Diplomacy
18. The War of 1812
19. A World within Themselves Bibliographic Essay
Anonymous
Posted December 19, 2009
I found this book to be quite revealing of the early history of America on all levels. The early politics and the growth of government institutions was in depth and complete with all of the whys,wherefores abd significant players duly noted. The sociological elements were well researched and provided great insight as to how we got to where we are today. This book provided more information about this era than any other I've read and I have gone through a few. I highly recommend it if you want more than just a high school history of the late 1700's and the early 1800's. It puts our current political divisions in context with our history since not much seems to have changed from then to now.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 21, 2010
I Also Recommend:
Gordon Wood has made a truly important addition to the Oxford History series with his masterful Empire of Liberty. Meticulously researched, comprehensive in its scope, and well written, this is history as it should be -- educational, thought-provoking, and entertaining. For anyone interested in better understanding America's early national period and the lasting foundations that were laid in the years just after the American Revolution, Empire of Liberty is an absolute must-read.
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Sybil625
Posted December 19, 2009
I Also Recommend:
Really flows. Covers everything - not just politics and war, but also social and religious development. And its interesting - not at all like the dreaded "textbook" quality. I got so caught up that I've now started the next volume in the Oxford History of the US, and I'm looking for more since they are son-in-law endorsed. This is the kind of history I wish our kids could read in school instead of ...... (fill in the blank).
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 18, 2010
Thorough insight into American History from Pre-Revolutionary America through the end of the War of 1812. This book describes American idealism from the start of the revolution. It describes attitudes of the founding fathers, often in their own words, and the growth of a diverse society. It presents the ideas of aristocracy which directed the development of the new government. Where this book excels over others is its presentation of American History within a world setting. The importance and influence of the French Revolution on the developing American landscape is discussed in detail, as are American relationships with Great Britain and differing opinions within the new American states which caused continual conflict and threats of succession. Attitudes and behaviors of post-revolutionary Americans are presented in a fairly unbiased manner. Sources are heavily referenced on each page.
It also provides a fair assessment of the events leading up to the War of 1812. It sets forth the conflicts in American politics as they affected America's preparation for the war, or lack thereof. It shows a torn nation with republican ideals, in stark contrast to the war that it would inevitably have to fight. It addresses the influence of continuing conflict between Great Britain and France on the landscape of American politics. This book does not portray the War of 1812 as an American victory, as many well do. It provides objective evidence of the events as they occurred and as they were revealed to Americans at home. The reader is left to access the events as presented and draw conclusions based on the facts presented, which are well documented. Empire concludes as the nation emerges from the war and the enlightenment a more conflicted nation but a stronger nation.
All in all, I would recommend this book for those seriously interested in a thorough discussion of early America from a world perspective. Innumerable sources are listed for further research. Be prepared for a very long, but very interesting, read.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Bill-V
Posted October 24, 2011
Very articulate and insightful history of a time and place where people can easily become caricatures rather than real people. Balanced and engaging with a theme and sure touch for those little facts that make history alive.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.outerdog
Posted August 21, 2011
I've enjoyed Professor Wood's book. It's immensely informative.
I have a few complaints, however, about B&N's Nook version of the book. I have read the book on the new touch-screen Nook. The maps are too small. They are illegible on the Nook's small screen. It should be possible to enlarge the image, but that feature is not available on the Nook. And so, while I have paid for Professor Woods' book, a part of the book has not been delivered. At about 600 pages, this is the longest Nook book I have read. I have discovered that a book of this length loads slowly. It takes about six seconds to load the book when I select it. The time it takes to load the book is nothing, though, compared to the time it takes to search for an word in the book using "find". I must wait at least a full minute for the search to complete. Because the search time is so much longer that the few seconds required to search a book of ordinary length (eg, 250 pages), I would call this a software bug.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Overview
The Oxford History of the United States is by far the most respected multi-volume history of our nation. The series includes three Pulitzer Prize winners, two New York Times bestsellers, and winners of the Bancroft and Parkman Prizes. Now, in the newest volume in the series, one of America's most esteemed historians, Gordon S. Wood, offers a brilliant account of the early American Republic, ranging from 1789 and the beginning of the national government to the end of the War of 1812.
As Wood reveals, the period was marked by tumultuous change in all aspects of American life--in politics, society, economy, and culture. The men who founded the new ...