Patriot Presidents: From George Washington to John Quincy Adams

A nuanced account of the early leaders who shaped the American presidency The founding fathers of the United States created a unique institution, the presidency, as they were determined to authorize an effective chief executive but wary of monarchy. They endowed this office with broad prerogatives and power but hedged it in with limitations. The presidency that developed over the next generation, however, was fashioned less by the clauses in the Constitution than by the way that the first presidents responded to challenges such as sectional enmity and the vexing Napoleonic warfare that jeopardized maritime rights. Patriot Presidents explores how the presidency took shape from the medley of clauses handed down to George Washington, who said, "I walk on untrodden ground," for virtually everything he did created a precedent. It then follows the overwhelming challenges faced by his successors, from the austere John Adams who spoke passionately in favor of a strong executive, to Thomas Jefferson, a zealous advocate of American liberties, to James Madison, the creator of the first political party, and James Monroe, whose Monroe Doctrine protected the sovereignty of the Western Hemisphere. It concludes with John Quincy Adams, who could be called the prophet of the expansive twentieth-century state of the Square Deal, the New Deal, the Fair Deal, and the Great Society. The esteemed American historian William E. Leuchtenburg invites readers to revisit the years after the birth of the republic, when Americans could take pride in leaders of ideals, high competence, and integrity who headed their government--chief executives who, though not unflawed, had an abiding commitment to the success of the vulnerable government that had emerged from the revolutionary cause to which they had devoted themselves.
ASIN: 0197598854
VSKU: BVV.0197598854.A
Condition: Acceptable
Author/Artist:Leuchtenburg, William E.
Binding: Hardcover
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: The item is very worn but is perfectly usable. Signs of wear can include aesthetic issues such as scratches, dents, worn and creased covers, folded page corners and minor liquid stains. All pages and the cover are intact, but the dust cover may be missing. Pages may include moderate to heavy amount of notes and highlighting, but the text is not obscured or unreadable. Page edges may have foxing age related spots and browning . May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.