American history books
recommended by historians
Last updated: November 11, 2024
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1
The Myth of Seneca Falls
by Lisa Tetrault -
2
The Concise History of Woman Suffrage
by Mari Jo Buhle & Paul Buhle -
3
All Bound Up Together: The Woman Question in African American Public Culture, 1830-1900
by Martha S. Jones -
4
The Woman's Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote
by Elaine Weiss -
5
The Right to Vote: The Contested History of Democracy in the United States
by Alexander Keyssar
The best books on Women’s Suffrage, recommended by Susan Ware
The best books on Women’s Suffrage, recommended by Susan Ware
How many suffragists can you name? Feminist historian Susan Ware, author of a new history of the American women’s suffrage movement, urges us to remember how important suffrage was in the fight for women’s rights, on the cusp of its US centennial—and reveals the story of women getting the right to vote didn’t just begin at Seneca Falls.
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1
The American Supreme Court
by Robert G. McCloskey -
2
John Marshall and the Heroic Age of the Supreme Court
by R. Kent Newmyer -
3
Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story: Statesman of the Old Republic
by R. Kent Newmyer -
4
The Dred Scott Case
by Don Fehrenbacher -
5
Simple Justice: The History of Brown v. Board of Education and Black America's Struggle for Equality
by Richard Kluger -
6
Justice Lewis F. Powell: A Biography
by John Jeffries
The best books on The Supreme Court of the United States, recommended by Michael Klarman
The best books on The Supreme Court of the United States, recommended by Michael Klarman
It may be nice to think of America’s Supreme Court justices as neutral interpreters of the law, but the reality is that they are a reflection of the cultural and historical moment in which they operate. Legal scholar and author Michael Klarman, Kirkland & Ellis Professor at Harvard Law School, recommends the best books to learn more about the Supreme Court of the United States and its history.
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1
High Crimes and Misdemeanors: A History of Impeachment for the Age of Trump
by Frank O. Bowman III -
2
Impeachment in America
by N. E. H. Hull & Peter Charles Hoffer -
3
Constitutional Grounds for Presidential Impeachment
by United States Congress -
4
Impeachment: The Constitutional Problems
by Raoul Berger -
5
Impeachment: A Handbook
by Charles L. Jr. Black
The best books on Impeachment, recommended by Michael J. Gerhardt
The best books on Impeachment, recommended by Michael J. Gerhardt
In the 1998 Clinton impeachment proceedings, only one legal scholar was called as a joint witness: Michael J. Gerhardt, now a Professor of Law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a prolific expert on subjects of constitutional history, the legislative process, and impeachment. With the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump well underway, he recommends five books crucial to understanding the subject.
The best books on The History of American Women, recommended by Jay Kleinberg
The feminist historian and author of History of Women in the Americas shares her book choices and explains why abortion will always remain a flashpoint in the United States.
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1
The Radicalism of the American Revolution
by Gordon S. Wood -
2
The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789
by Robert Middlekauff -
3
The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution
by Bernard Bailyn -
4
American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence
by Pauline Maier -
5
Revolutionaries: A New History of the Invention of America
by Jack Rakove
The Best Fourth of July Books, recommended by Gordon S. Wood
The Best Fourth of July Books, recommended by Gordon S. Wood
On the Fourth of July, Americans celebrate the Declaration of Independence from the British Empire. In its assertion that all men are created equal, the declaration was a milestone in the journey towards the more democratic world we have today. But it was still a product of the 18th century colonial society that created it. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Gordon S. Wood talks us through five books, including his own, for understanding the history we celebrate on the Fourth of July.
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1
Festivals of Freedom: Memory and Meaning in African American Emancipation Celebrations, 1808-1915
by Mitch Kachun -
2
Envisioning Emancipation: Black Americans and the End of Slavery
by Barbara Krauthamer & Deborah Willis -
3
Closer to Freedom: Enslaved Women and Everyday Resistance in the Plantation South
by Stephanie Camp -
4
To 'Joy My Freedom: Southern Black Women's Lives and Labors after the Civil War
by Tera Hunter -
5
A Black Women's History of the United States
by Daina Berry & Kali Gross
The Best Books for Juneteenth, recommended by Barbara Krauthamer
The Best Books for Juneteenth, recommended by Barbara Krauthamer
June 19th, or ‘Juneteenth,’ is a holiday commemorating the final end of slavery in the United States. Professor Barbara Krauthamer, a leading historian of African American slavery and emancipation, talks us through its significance down the decades and which books to read to get a better understanding of what it’s all about.
The best books on The Kennedys, recommended by David Nasaw
The story and tragedy of the Kennedys is so incredible you don’t need to turn to fiction, says the biographer of Joseph P Kennedy, David Nasaw. He talks us through the Kennedy generations.
The best books on The Reagan Era, recommended by Doug Rossinow
Americans remember Reagan fondly, but what did the Gipper really stand for? The historian chooses the best books on Ronald Reagan and his time.
The best books on Learning from the Great Depression, recommended by Christina Romer
The former chair of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers says we’ve learned that terrible downturns can still occur, but also that the right policy response can make a huge difference to the outcome
The best books on American Economic History, recommended by Michael Lind
The American economy has been driven by waves of technological change and the successful adoption of ideas from elsewhere. The author of Land of Promise tells us how it happened, and what history teaches us about the way ahead