Books by Pauline Maier
“American Scripture is the best book on the origins of the Declaration of Independence. Pauline Maier covers the subject as well as anyone ever did. She builds the context for the declaration. One important contribution Pauline Maier made was to show that the declaration wasn’t that original. She shows that preceding the actual writing of the declaration there were about 80 or 90 declarations issued by small groups and colonies. She also points out that the draft by Jefferson was amended quite considerably by the Congress. Maybe 40 percent of his draft was taken away and replaced.” Read more...
Gordon S. Wood, Historian
Ratification: The People Debate the Constitution, 1787-1788
by Pauline Maier
Ratification takes the story from the framing of the Constitution to its—yes—ratification. The process was complicated and far from a done deal from the outset. There was lots of politics involved. Hamilton’s party, the Federalists, won the day over the anti-Federalists, helped by the support of Washington himself, to whom Hamilton was close and with whom he and worked and faught during the War of Independence. Remarkably, the whole process was complete within a year, with all of the original states ratifying it. This book takes you through the main debates of the process one-by-one.
Interviews where books by Pauline Maier were recommended
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1
Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787
by Gordon S. Wood -
2
Novus Ordo Seclorum
by Forrest McDonald -
3
Plain, Honest Men: The Making of the American Constitution
by Richard Beeman -
4
A Revolution in Favor of Government
by Max M Edling -
5
Ratification: The People Debate the Constitution, 1787-1788
by Pauline Maier
The best books on The US Constitution, recommended by Jack Rakove
The best books on The US Constitution, recommended by Jack Rakove
The Pulitzer prize-winning history professor tells us how the Constitution came to be written and ratified and explains why, after more than 200 years, Americans are still so deeply wedded to it.
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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.
