The Bloody (Congressional) Road to Disunion

The Bloody (Congressional) Road to Disunion

by | Dec 2, 2018

The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War By Joanne B. Freeman. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2018. Hardcover, 480 pages, $28. Reviewed by John Bicknell One could make the case that Yale professor Joanne Freeman is obsessed with people getting...
A Compelling and Contradictory Prophet

A Compelling and Contradictory Prophet

by | Nov 18, 2018

Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight. Simon and Schuster, 2018. Hardcover, 888 pages, $37.50. Reviewed by Annelisa J. Purdie Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) is a remarkable and compelling figure in American history. His portraits are among the most...
Calhoun, Compromise, and Consequence

Calhoun, Compromise, and Consequence

by | Nov 11, 2018

Heirs of the Founders: The Epic Rivalry of Henry Clay, John Calhoun, and Daniel Webster, the Second Generation of American Giants by H. W. Brands. Doubleday, 2018. Hardcover, 432 pages, $30 Reviewed by Carl Rollyson Henry Clay (1777–1852), John Calhoun (1782–1850),...
Citizens of the World

Citizens of the World

by | Nov 11, 2018

The Sand Pebbles by Richard McKenna. Naval Institute Press, [1962] 2001. Paper, 624 pages, $26. Reviewed by Casey Chalk This October marked the one-year anniversary of the release of Caitlan Coleman and Joshua Boyle, an American/Canadian couple captured by the Taliban...
The Revolution That Did Not End in Blood

The Revolution That Did Not End in Blood

by | Nov 4, 2018

A Conversation with Antonia Fraser Interviewed by JP O’Malley Antonia Fraser is the author of many acclaimed and bestselling novels and historical works, including Mary Queen of Scots; Cromwell, Our Chief of Men; and The Gunpowder Plot: Terror and Faith in 1605. She...