First Freedom: A Ride Through America's Enduring History with the Gun

by David Harsanyi

Overview

From “one of America’s smartest political writers” (Glenn Beck) comes a fascinating and accessible history of the United States’ unique and enduring relationship with guns, for fans of Chris Kyle’s American Gun.

For America, the gun is a story of innovation, power, violence, character, and freedom.

From the founding of the nation to the pioneering of the West, from the freeing of the slaves to the urbanization of the twentieth century, our country has had a complex and lasting relationship with firearms. Now, in First Freedom, nationally syndicated columnist and veteran writer David Harsanyi explores the ways in which firearms have helped preserve our religious, economic, and cultural institutions for over two centuries. From Samuel Colt’s early entrepreneurism to the successful firearms technology that helped make the United States a superpower, the gun is inextricably tied to our exceptional rise.

In the vein of popular histories like Salt and Seabiscuit, Harsanyi takes you on a captivating and thrilling ride of Second Amendment history that demonstrates why guns are not only an integral part of America’s past, but also an essential part of its future.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781501174001
Publisher:	Threshold Editions
Publication date:	10/02/2018
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	1,163,310
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

David Harsanyi is a senior editor at The Federalist, one of the leading conservative/libertarian web magazines in the nation. Harsanyi is a nationally syndicated columnist and the author of three books, including First Freedom.

Table of Contents

Prologue: From Prey to Predator 1

Part I New Worlds

1 First Contact 11

2 Pilgrims Progress 18

3 Powder Alarm 31

4 "Fire!" 42

5 The Finest Marksmen in the World 54

6 Liberty's Teeth 64

7 Freedom's Guarantee 71

Part II Discovery

8 Go West 83

9 Peacemaker 95

10 Bullet 114

11 Those Newfangled Gimcrackers 123

12 Fastest Gun in the West 132

13 The Showman 143

Part III Modernity

14 Hellfire 157

15 An American in London 166

16 American Genius 173

17 The Chicago Typewriter 189

18 Great Arsenal of Democracy 199

19 Fall and Rise of the Sharpshooter 207

20 Peace Dividends 215

21 The Great Argument 225

Conclusion: Molon Labe 238

Notes 249

Glossary 273

Selected Bibliography 277

Acknowledgments 283

Index 285

List of Illustrations and Credits 308

Editorial Reviews

A briskly paced journey...a welcome lesson on how guns and America have shaped each other for 400 years.

—National Review

"David Harsanyi leads the reader on a captivating and comprehensive journey of our country’s relationship with the gun, from colonial times to the present. When you finish you’ll thoroughly understand the importance of guns to America’s history and the indispensability of the Second Amendment to our precious liberties."

—David Limbaugh

"In First Freedom, Harsanyi is almost unparalleled in his clarity and adherence to principle, but that doesn't stop him from providing us with a rollicking and engaging read."

—Mollie Hemingway

"David Harsanyi does Americans a service: he spells out in comprehensive, fascinating detail just how firearms are part of the American story -- and why they should continue to be seen as a crucial centerpiece ensuring American liberty. A must-read!"

—Ben Shapiro

David Harsanyi is one of the American’s most dedicated defenders of liberty and is such a happy warrior, he’s like Genghis Khan on Prozac.

—Jonah Goldberg

"David Harsanyi has shown the truth at the heart of the modern gun debate better than any other current author."

David French

"[A] briskly paced journey through four centuries of history, Harsanyi explains how American culture and civilization are, and always have been, inextricably linked to the ownership and use of firearms."

Kyle Sammin

"David Harsanyi does Americans a service: he spells out in comprehensive, fascinating detail just how firearms are part of the American story — and why they should continue to be seen as a crucial centerpiece ensuring American liberty. A must-read!"

Ben Shapiro

David Harsanyi is one of the American’s most dedicated defenders of liberty and is such a happy warrior, he’s like Genghis Khan on Prozac.

Jonah Goldberg

"[A] fantastic new book. Great research and great storytelling and very well-written."

Brad Thor

"David Harsanyi leads the reader on a captivating and comprehensive journey of our country’s relationship with the gun, from colonial times to the present. When you finish you’ll thoroughly understand the importance of guns to America’s history and the indispensability of the Second Amendment to our precious liberties."

David Limbaugh

"In First Freedom, Harsanyi is almost unparalleled in his clarity and adherence to principle, but that doesn't stop him from providing us with a rollicking and engaging read."

Mollie Hemingway

"Outstanding and highly recommended."

Peter Schweizer

"Outstanding and highly recommended."

—Peter Schweizer

"[A] briskly paced journey through four centuries of history, Harsanyi explains how American culture and civilization are, and always have been, inextricably linked to the ownership and use of firearms."

—Kyle Sammin

"[A] fantastic new book. Great research and great storytelling and very well-written."

—Brad Thor

"David Harsanyi has shown the truth at the heart of the modern gun debate better than any other current author."

—David French

A briskly paced journey...a welcome lesson on how guns and America have shaped each other for 400 years.

National Review