Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789-1815

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Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789-1815 (Oxford History of the United States #4)

4.25 of 5 stars 4.25 · rating details · 937 ratings · 121 reviews

The Oxford History of the United States is by far the most respected multi-volume history of our nation. The series includes three Pulitzer Prize winners, two New York Times bestsellers, and winners of the Bancroft and Parkman Prizes. Now, in the newest volume in the series, one of America's most esteemed historians, Gordon S. Wood, offers a brilliant account of the early...more

Hardcover, 778 pages

Published October 26th 2009 by Oxford University Press (first published 2009)

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Nov 07, 2011 Bryn Dunham rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned-books

From the Constitution's eventual ratification to the aftermath of the War of 1812, this is an epic history of the U.S. The author, Dr. Gordon S. Wood is a respected historian and professor who is a very acomplished writer of early American history and this is no exception. At 738 pages (paperback)this is a balanced to "center-left" history book, which is a little different than what I am used to but it was well done. He is definitely a pro-Jeffersonian Republican who were opposed to the Federali...more

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Jan 03, 2010 Mary added it

Shelves: history, us-history, borrow-from-library

Only got halfway through before I had to return book to library. What I've learned so far:

* If someone says they want to return to the ways of the founding fathers, ask which one(s).

* Most complaints people make about government and politics today were being made more or less from the time the Articles of Confederation took effect.

* Many of the complaints about social groups were being made too, especially those about an educated elite, businessmen, and ordinary folks who insists on a seat at th...more

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Nov 14, 2012 Bob H rated it 5 of 5 stars

It's the childhood of the Republic. In this volume, an Oxford History that fills a gap between the Revolutionary period and the early industrial years, Gordon Wood provides us with a multifaceted story. It's not just a linear story of how the U.S. evolved from its new Constitutional rebirth in 1789 through the end of the War of 1812, which, he tells us, definitely broke the U.S. from its British cultural and civic roots.

It's also a story of many beginnings in American culture and society. We lea...more It's the childhood of the Republic. In this volume, an Oxford History that fills a gap between the Revolutionary period and the early industrial years, Gordon Wood provides us with a multifaceted story. It's not just a linear story of how the U.S. evolved from its new Constitutional rebirth in 1789 through the end of the War of 1812, which, he tells us, definitely broke the U.S. from its British cultural and civic roots.

It's also a story of many beginnings in American culture and society. We learn that the Federalist movement was not so much a party as a social order, the remnants of an aristocratic way of life exemplified by Washington and Adams, a life and culture that would be subsumed under a republican mindset, a "Republican Party" as Wood terms it (later "Democratic-Republican", later simply Democratic). Indeed, he concludes, at the end of this period, Americans "looked back in awe and wonder at all the Founders and saw in them heroic leaders the likes of which they knew they would never see again in America. Yet they also knew they now lived in a different world, a bustling Democratic world."

Wood also shows how America interacted, not just with its aristocracy and the aristocratic outer world evoked by Britain. We see how the French Revolution both was affected by, and affected, ours. We see how by 1815, with the re-established old order in Europe, that America would become unique, the only democratic republic in the world of the Holy Alliance. We see how, economically, politically and otherwise, it would become a world of its own. We see how the "Jeffersonian West" of the Louisiana Purchase would also devolve from Europe, and emerge, clearly so, as early as 1815, and now the way west would open.

Wood does not neglect the fact that, although post-Federalist America did profess a new equality, it was not so for those who were native American, or women, or slaves. Indeed, the Framers, he shows, seemed to think that slavery would wither, when by 1815 it would become entrenched, a clever observation, but he adds that it maintained a slaveholder aristocracy that was already becoming marginalized and defensive.

He also shows some of the other threads beginning in the Jeffersonian period, the rise of a uniquely American religious culture, freed of the Church of England, that would grow westward and more vigorous. He shows how an independent U.S. judiciary, and the principle of judicial review, was not a given but indeed a development that would rise during the period. "Precisely because of the exuberantly democratic nature of American politics, the judiciary right from the nation's beginning acquired a special power that it has never lost." He shows how this spirited order would drive the early entrepreneurs and canal builders in advance of an industrial age. And, he tells these stories in terms that laypeople would find illuminating - and cohesive.

There's more, but suffice to say that the research seems to be impeccable, and that the writing clear and fascinating. This book is literature and history, and is a worthy addition to the Oxford History series.

Highly recommend. (less)

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Jul 19, 2012 Jeremy Perron rated it 5 of 5 stars

Before I begin I would like to point out that I actually had the opportunity to meet Professor Wood when he was giving a lecture at the University of New England in September 2010. I was very impressed by his presentation and he even signed my copy of Empire of Liberty.

As I continue my march through the ages in which I explore all the historical eras of the United States of America, my journey takes me to the beginning of our modern government. Since I finished Robert Middlekauff's The Glorious...more

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May 28, 2012 Tim rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wood's history is a fine inclusion in the Oxford series, filling in the history from the time of the Constitution until the end of the War of 1812. He argues for the fragility of the nation at the time, at least in the minds of its leadership, both Federalist, fearing democracy, and Republican (as in Jeffersonian), fearing monarchy, and hauls out the thesis from his Radicalism book about the end of hierarchy and deference in the post-Revolution society and the growth of a commercial culture.

T...more Wood's history is a fine inclusion in the Oxford series, filling in the history from the time of the Constitution until the end of the War of 1812. He argues for the fragility of the nation at the time, at least in the minds of its leadership, both Federalist, fearing democracy, and Republican (as in Jeffersonian), fearing monarchy, and hauls out the thesis from his Radicalism book about the end of hierarchy and deference in the post-Revolution society and the growth of a commercial culture.

The book reads exceptionally well, as do all the books in this series (do yourself a favor and read Howe's on 1815-1848). Wood gets cranky about whatever group is in power - the Federalist take the heat in the 1790s and Jefferson and company after 1800. He seems to admire Hamilton for his intelligence and financial acumen, if not entirely liking him, largely due to his hierarchical understanding of society (Wood's problem with all the Federalists). Adams he pokes at repeatedly for his vanity. He likes Jefferson, though pointing out his hypocrisy on slavery (which is how he ends the book as a whole). It is also interesting to me that he dismisses Jefferson and Madison on the embargo, but finds room to praise Madison on the disastrous War of 1812.

The book is excellent on the political, on the legal, on the movement west, and the development of northern commercial culture. It is good, but weaker on the south (which becomes the vague foil to the development in the north), on religion (rehashes a lot of Hatch's Democratization of Christianity), and on the lives of the common folk, details of which are sometimes more asserted than described. But it is so engagingly written and offers such charming stories and thoughtful synthesis that it has to be recommended highly. It's not a quick read, but you do not need to read every chapter or read them in order to enjoy it. I almost skipped the two chapters on legal history - it would not have hurt my reading of the whole, but I am glad I went through them, if only to get a better picture of John Marshall and the judicial environment in the early Republic (and how up in the air Constitutional interpretation was during the entire period). (less)

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May 02, 2012 Bill rated it 5 of 5 stars

BOOK REVIEW
EMPIRE OF LIBERTY
GORDON S. WOOD

This excellent history is one of the Oxford History of the United States series civerung the period 1879-1815. Wood begins the long narrative by describing problems faced by the Republic in its first days. One of the issues, not as minor as it currently appears, was what to call President Washington. Was it Your Excellency, something equally monarchial, or more common? Mr. President was decided upon.

Wood explores many themes including the rivalry between...more

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Nov 18, 2011 Thomas Paul rated it 5 of 5 stars

A lot of us think we know about our founding fathers and what they planned for America. But did you know that a lot of our founding fathers intended for the US to be a monarchy? That the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans despised each other so much that it makes the political parties of today look like a love-fest? That the Washington administration built a very strong federal government that taxed and spent their way to a prosperous nation? That our founding fathers had very little interes...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Catherine Woodman added it

I took a course with Gordon WOod in college, and then promptly forgot about him--never to take another history course again, if the truth be told. But this year I decided that perhaps it was time to take a vig plunge into the world of non-fiction. It has been literally decades since I was in college, and perhaps it is time to attack learning new things with a renewed vigor. Or at least to read a couple dozen non-fiction books this year. I am well on my way to achieving that goal, and this book w...more

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Mar 20, 2011 Kelly is currently reading it

So far - a fabulous read.

Product Description:
The Oxford History of the United States is by far the most respected multi-volume history of our nation. The series includes three Pulitzer Prize winners, two New York Times bestsellers, and winners of the Bancroft and Parkman Prizes. Now, in the newest volume in the series, one of America's most esteemed historians, Gordon S. Wood, offers a brilliant account of the early American Republic, ranging from 1789 and the beginning of the national governme...more

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May 23, 2010 James Thane rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is the capstone of Gordon S. Wood's long career, and an outstanding addition to the Oxford History of the United States.

Wood surveys the history of the U. S. from the adoption of the Constitution through the close of the War of 1812, a time during which the survival of the new nation was by no means a sure thing. As he describes, this was a time of enormous political, social, cultural and economic change, and it's safe to say that things did not turn out the way that many of the Found...more

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May 11, 2010 Christopher Carbone rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who want to know how our country started

Empire of Liberty is a gripping narrative on the first 25+ years of the United States of America, the story of how the founding fathers started the nation, how the country saw itself, and how the nation was defined through constant- sometimes suffocating -contradictions.

The book begins with George Washington contemplating the Presidency and how the states contemplated giving up true Independence for interdependency; how being a state subject to a Federal Government chaffed them. As the story un...more Empire of Liberty is a gripping narrative on the first 25+ years of the United States of America, the story of how the founding fathers started the nation, how the country saw itself, and how the nation was defined through constant- sometimes suffocating -contradictions.

The book begins with George Washington contemplating the Presidency and how the states contemplated giving up true Independence for interdependency; how being a state subject to a Federal Government chaffed them. As the story unfolds, the reader comes to a realization that should seem obvious, but is not through the lens of history: that our Founding Fathers were as much at odds with each other BACK THEN as we are now (to some extent). The book is a literal "page turner" as the author steps aside and lets the facts speak for themselves. How Washington seemed to be almost afraid of the public; how Adams seemed to hate them; how Hamilton seemed contemptuous of them; and how Jefferson seemed to embrace them.

The book deals frankly with many glaring contradictions: how could a nation the prized Liberty be so expansionist? How could Thomas Jefferson, a man who wanted small, limited government double the size of the nation and later effectively stop trade due to his Presidential whims? How could a nation that wanted freedom of speech pass the Alien and Sedition Acts? How could we say all men are created equal, and then dis-include women, Indians and many immigrants?

To say nothing of slavery.

The book suffers from some extensive "Jefferson Worshiping" that is hard to swallow: they gloss over the fact that he was most likely the biggest hypocrite in American political history (limited government... until HE became President; a little revolution every 10 years is a good thing... but not while HE was in power; all men are created equal... except his slaves). I wish the author had spent as much time explaining all of Jefferson's issues as he did John Adams' (my personal favorite Founding Father) and Aaron Burr's (everyone loves a good villain).

But the book does give a good explanation of the evolution of the leader's relationship with the world around them and our "freedoms." And that leads inexorably to slavery, and how, as a nation, we were utterly bound to this paradox, and how the North and the South tried to ignore it as best they could. Of the first 5 Presidents in this Nations history, 4 were slaveholders;' Jefferson and Washington were two of the wealthiest men of their day; almost all their wealth and privilege was derived from their slaves. The book seamlessly tracks the growth of slavery and how it, in effect, crippled the nation while making a very select few filthy, filthy rich. And in that line, lay the infancy of the Civil War.

But the book also chronicles the haze between Constitution and and Andrew Jackson: it leaps at Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, their dual and their lives; it explains American views of England and France, the XYZ affair and Napoleon. The book defines what Americans thought of themselves and how we could fool others and ourselves. Ultimately, the book explains the War of 1812 and how it was actually a second American Revolution, how it kept the British, once and for all, out of US territory, and how the US never again had to deal with its own sovereignty issues.

The book does have slow parts- there is an extended portion dedicated to Art in the period, that I felt dragged and another section on invention that was disappointing. But overall, I was surprised by how well the book moved; I wish it had done more to explain the hypocrisy of Jefferson, Washington and Madison, but there was only so much to go on. I also thought that the book did a fantastic job of explaining how the North and South started to grow apart in the early 1800s and how that separation was due, almost entirely, to slavery.

Overall, this book is a must read for anyone interested in Post Revolutionary America (in effect, this review is 5 stars for them), but I also recommend it to anyone interested in how we started as a country and how we took those first steps into the world. (less)

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Apr 11, 2013 Matthew Griffiths rated it 5 of 5 stars

After reading the first volume of this series on the revolutionary war I have to say I was a little disappointed with it and consequently a little trepidatious about reading another volume on a historical period I was less interested in incase the experience was relived. After reading this book I promise I will never judge an entire series by its first volume ever again. Where The Glorious Cause failed to thrill me in large parts this particular volume made even the most boring of topics interes...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Ian rated it 3 of 5 stars

Part of the reason one reads Gordon Wood, I suppose, is to delight in his mastery of eighteenth century contemporary primary sources. The delight, as a consequence, is in the experience of reading the book, rather than in increased knowledge of the period or of contemporary academic debates on that period--though they are, of course, inevitable and not at all unwelcome byproducts. However, in this volume, Wood's attempts to be accessible (for I can think of no other excuse for the book's endless...more

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Nov 23, 2011 Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, history, american-history

Stellar overview of American politics & society in the first 40 years of the USA. If you've read Wood's 'Radicalism of the American Revolution' you know he marries a masterful grasp of the early Republic with a fluid and entertaining style. This (much bigger) book takes up similar themes, with chapters on science, religion, commerce, etc.

I picked this up to help me understand something that's never been especially clear to me - how the US had become "democratic" not more than 50 years after...more

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Feb 23, 2012 John Bellamy added it

I first encountered the work of Gordon S. Wood in the winter of 1973, when I read his "Creation of the American Republic" during my first semester of graduate school at the University of Virginia. I immediately decided he was the most brilliant American history writer I'd come across and I still think so after finishing "Empire of Liberty." His book is all the more welcome as the historiography of the early national period has too long been scanted by American historians. Wood is a very rare sch...more

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Nov 20, 2009 David rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-read-in-2009

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I’m not sure how Gordon Wood’s Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789-1815 could be any better. It may seem strange to call a 750 page history a page-turner but it is. I couldn’t put the thing down. One is always worried when picking up a history of this length that you’ll be confronted with turgid, clunky prose and pedestrian insights, that you’ll have to slog through the thing for weeks to get through it, if you finish at all. That is most definitely not the case here. Wood’s...more

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Sep 10, 2012 Ben rated it 4 of 5 stars

Covers American politics and culture from the ratification of the Constitution through the end of the War of 1812. Wood discusses the evolution of Americans' self-awareness that they were not just second-class citizens of Great Britain, but were creating an egalitarian, republican civic culture that contrasted sharply with the class system of Great Britain and pre-Revolutionary France. Aristocrats need not apply.

Standards of living were already high for the typical colonial American, but with In...more Covers American politics and culture from the ratification of the Constitution through the end of the War of 1812. Wood discusses the evolution of Americans' self-awareness that they were not just second-class citizens of Great Britain, but were creating an egalitarian, republican civic culture that contrasted sharply with the class system of Great Britain and pre-Revolutionary France. Aristocrats need not apply.

Standards of living were already high for the typical colonial American, but with Independence and a policy of developing infant industries (rather than relying on imports for manufactured goods), American practicality was unleashed in new ways to solve problems unique to the infant nation. The absence of readily available labor (as contrasted with England) led to an urgent need for labor saving devices, such as the cotton gin and steam powered engines to operate textile machinery. These inventions made Americans even more productive and wealthier, and importantly, relieved the need to populate large cities with a group of marginally productive laborers in order to have a manufacturing economy. Manufacturing was done in a uniquely American way, by farmers moonlighting as a way to make additional money.

The tension grew between the Federalists (Washington, Adams, Hamilton) and Republicans (which became the Democratic Party) Jefferson and Madison. Both parties had very different visions of what America was and what it should become. The Federalists wanted to create a powerful state with great commercial interests in the mold of Great Britain or France, while the Republicans were eager to create a more egalitarian society of yeoman farmers. While the Federalist vision basically prevailed in the end, the Republican vision became more popular with the average citizen, and a synthesis of the two viewpoints emerged.

By the end of the War of 1812, the Federalists were basically extinct and the Republicans were in the ascendancy across the nation. The Age of Jackson was at hand.(less)

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Apr 21, 2010 Paul Donahue rated it 5 of 5 stars

So many history books are just summations of political and military events between two fixed dates. Empire of Liberty goes far beyond that structure, going as far back as the early 1700s and all the way up to the Mexican and Civil Wars to put points and stories into full context. Not just wars and politics, but economics, commerce, religion, education, family life, social changes, slavery, diplomacy, westward expansion, science, philosophy, it’s all in there. Much like the other Wood book I rece...more So many history books are just summations of political and military events between two fixed dates. Empire of Liberty goes far beyond that structure, going as far back as the early 1700s and all the way up to the Mexican and Civil Wars to put points and stories into full context. Not just wars and politics, but economics, commerce, religion, education, family life, social changes, slavery, diplomacy, westward expansion, science, philosophy, it’s all in there. Much like the other Wood book I recently read, the common theme throughout is the change all these areas underwent from an aristocratic, dependent, agrarian, Old World society into a republican, independent, commercial New World. He also keeps the them that the republic actually created by the Revolution and Constitutional Convention was nothing at all what the founding fathers intended.

It’s also intriguing and perhaps relieving that so much of today’s concerns date back to then. People railed against Congressional salaries, intellectuals were mortified at the rise of uneducated leaders and demagogues, our government tried to subvert an inevitable war via economic sanctions. One of Wood’s particularly insightful observations is that it was not the revolutionary generation that envisioned the American dream, it was the succeeding one. Instead of a hierarchy in which the middling classes were dominated by a gentry class, many of those barriers broke down and the many sons of petty merchants, cobblers, and farmers used American’s booming commercial appetite to achieve a life of luxury—the birth of the American dream.

Jefferson and his ilk also envisioned an America where liberally enlightened intellectuals were democratically elected to run the country, trade was done only with foreign countries, scientists pondered only abstract thoughts, and slavery would phase out. Instead, middling and often uneducated people were elected to office; commerce within the states exploded; scientists thought practically and began leading the world in invention (and paved America’s path to economic dominance); and the parts of the country dependent on slavery, to the grave revulsion of others, dug their heels in until the bitter end.(less)

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Mar 27, 2010 Jeff rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

Gordon Wood has been working on this book for over 20 years and it shows. The sheer amount of insight, analysis and historical detail is spectacular. Every paragraph has a point. Every word counts.

I went to a round-table discussion recently where ten judges and ten lawyers (I am one of the latter) met with Gordon Wood. Wood was down-to-earth and funny.

A judge asked Wood how he was able to accomplish writing such a prodigious book. It seemed impossible to do.

Wood's modest response. "Actually i...more

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Nov 03, 2011 James rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am in love with the Oxford US history series. This one and the next are long, cover basically everything, and are pretty well paced considering how complete they are attempting to be. If, like me, your understanding of US history between the Constitutional Convention and the War of 1812 is "something something XYZ affair something" then this will get you caught right up. My personal takeaways are mostly about how tenuous the early republic was: all worried about a return to monarchy, reabsorpt...more

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Jul 23, 2011 Dave rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, read-in-2011

I'm not sure how one person keeps this much knowledge in his or her brain. Now that I've finished, I feel like I've forgotten half of this book. I doubt it's the same for Wood.

Empire of Liberty is the third volume of the Oxford History of the United States that I've read, along with Middlekauff's Revolutionary War tome and Howe's brilliant telling of America from 1815-1848. Howe's is still my favorite, but Empire of Liberty is thorough, critical, and high-level enough to give a sense of histori...more

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Nov 04, 2012 James Loftus rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is probably for hardcore history buffs as it covers a period of time that is generally considered "uneventful" - i.e. there aren't any wars or other headline events. What this book makes you realize is that after the revolution was over and the British left the colonists to their own devices, our founding fathers were extraordinarily torn as to what was the right direction for the new nation. This much I knew, but what I didn't realize was how long this fight went on and how divided th...more

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Aug 10, 2011 John Martindale rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, audiobook

I learned a LOT, this was a very interesting listen (an over 30 hour audiobook). One thing it showed me is a lot never changed, the struggle between the elites in favor of big government vs. those with more libertarian leanings was just as fierce at our founding as it is now. The book seemed unbias, balanced and well written. I was very pleased. Empire of liberty covers the period of time between Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Monroe and I must say I was pretty ignorant about a lot that happen...more

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Jul 28, 2010 Paul Jellinek rated it 4 of 5 stars

Fascinating account of an often-overlooked by crucial era (1789-1815) in American history. Wood does a great job of interweaving politics, socio-cultural change, and the personal stories of some of the key--and not-so-key--individuals who both reflected and shaped the times. I came away from this book with a much better understanding of how it is that we've become the country that we are. A little more editing would have brought it up to five stars--Wood has a penchant for statistics that at tim...more

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May 08, 2013 David Williams rated it 5 of 5 stars

The excellent volume in the Oxford History of the United States covers the period from the creation of the Constitution through the War of 1812. This 26 year period saw many changes take place in the United States. During this time George Washington served as President and helped to define that office. The first three presidents managed to keep the United States out of the wars that defined and tore Europe apart for over 25 years. Under Thomas Jefferson the nation doubled in size with the Louisi...more

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May 27, 2012 Alan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: al-s-history-books

This extensive but reasonably readable work is a thorough and enlightening story of the early days of the United States of America.
It is a good survey of the people, the principles and the problems of the period and describes it's successes and failures. The books goes a long way to explaining how Americans developed their sense of America's special place in the world. These early days left an indelible mark on the national character of the US. Anyone who would understand it today must understan...more

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Aug 23, 2012 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars

The second book in the Oxford History of the United States series. I read the first, The Glorious Cause, while in graduate school.

1789-1815 is a period of U.S. history that most Americans probably don't know much about - myself included - but was incredibly vital to our fabric. The middle class, our culture and values and the political processes that are so familiar today were all formed during this time. It's a beautiful story about America's foundation. It also shows that many of the complain...more

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Oct 14, 2012 John rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who questions today's commentary on principles of our founding fathers.

Recommended to John by: I found its appeal on zmazon.com

I liken the time it must have taken for Professor Wood to write this book to preparing a Thanksgiving dinner. Unlike gobbling such, this is a savoring read that is easily digested and worthy of compliment to the chef through thorough mastication. Insight into John Adams was enlightening, and now I'm struck by how the Federalist washout gave Thomas Jefferson a free hand in governing on a scale much larger than his somewhat covert scheming in Virginia. With most of the citizens running amuck with...more I liken the time it must have taken for Professor Wood to write this book to preparing a Thanksgiving dinner. Unlike gobbling such, this is a savoring read that is easily digested and worthy of compliment to the chef through thorough mastication. Insight into John Adams was enlightening, and now I'm struck by how the Federalist washout gave Thomas Jefferson a free hand in governing on a scale much larger than his somewhat covert scheming in Virginia. With most of the citizens running amuck with the new president's ideals of personal liberty, Jefferson's use of political savvy in playing the European powers against each other -resulting in a massive expansion of U.S. real estate- transcends his concern for the dignity of farmers and becomes more grandiose, revealing a different aspect of his character. This book is more than a narrative on presidents; it is a feast in history, a comprehensive spread of social, economic, and political developments that mix present day values like gravy swirled into mashed potatoes. There are several descriptive chapters that precede the next to the last (War of 1812) that blend cultural outcomes in the republic during most of Jefferson's presidency and some of Madison's that after reading cued me to take a breath-taking pause before proceeding with his coverage of the war. Whereas my interest in specific battle coverage is typically overshadowed by my preference for causes and results, Professor Wood's engagement of war development is consistent with that of his political and cultural formulations, which credit victors in the successful campaigns without dramatizing winning or losing fronts. I was especially struck by the privateers' assistance to the American Navy, wondering how this sea-faring militia contrasts with contemporary private armed forces contractors; and fascinated by how the trade disputes leading to the war remained unresolved, yet established our country on equal footing with European powers to eventually become a beacon of hope for those who emigrated here for the economic opportunities exclusively provided by a democratic republic form of government. (less)

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Apr 10, 2012 Clinton Rice rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a very good read of early post-revolutionary America, chronicling the early Federalist efforts to centralize and gentrify the government followed by the Republican push to democratize life and revert power back to the states, with the philosophical and practical implications of those competing ideologies when put into practice.
Since I read Empire of Liberty as the second book of the Oxford series, I assumed going in that the narrative would be very similar. In a broad sense, it was (bot...more

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May 28, 2012 Patrick rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

Awesome!

This book gave to me an understanding of the formative years of American history like no other, and I walk away a better American for completing this heavyweight of a read. For me, this book was so well done that it was a close to taking a college course without paying the tuition. Not only focusing on the politics, but also the social and intellectual history of the period, I can think of no other book that best encapsulates a period of time as Dr Wood's Empire of Liberty did.

For me th...more

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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/550931.Empire_of_Liberty?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348976871l/550931.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/550931.Empire_of_Liberty?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789-1815 by Gordon S. Wood[/url]

Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789-1815 (Oxford History of the United States #4)

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