When Thomas Jefferson moved his victorious Republican administration into the new capital city in 1801, one of his first acts was to abolish any formal receptions, except on New Year's Day and the Fourth of July. His successful campaign for the presidency had been partially founded on the idea that his Federalist enemies had assumed dangerously aristocratic trappings—a sword for George Washington and a raised dais for Martha when she received people at social occasions—in the first capital...

America has gone Hamilton crazy. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony-winning musical has spawned sold-out performances, a triple platinum cast album, and a score so catchy that it is being used to teach U.S. history in classrooms across the country. But just how historically accurate is Hamilton? And how is the show itself making history?Historians on Hamilton brings together a collection of top scholars to explain the Hamilton phenomenon and explore what ...

An extraordinary American comes to life in this vivid, groundbreaking portrait of the early days of the republic—and the birth of modern politicsWhen the roar of the Revolution had finally died down, a new generation of American politicians was summoned to the Potomac to assemble the nation's newly minted capital. Into that unsteady atmosphere, which would soon enough erupt into another conflict with Britain in 1812, Dolley Madison arrived, alongside her husband, Ja...

First Lady of the United States and America's "Queen of Hearts," Dolley Madison fashioned an unofficial role for herself in the new administration of the United States, helping to answer the nation's need for ceremony and leaving footprints for centuries of presidential wives to follow. Assisting her husband, James Madison, she helped to promote national unity, modeling a political behavior that stressed civility and empathy. Together, their approach fueled bipartisanship in a country stil...

Virginia Women is the first of two volumes exploring the history of Virginia women through the lives of exemplary and remarkable individuals. This collection of seventeen essays, written by established and emerging scholars, recovers the stories and voices of a diverse group of women, from the seventeenth century through the Civil War era. Placing their subjects in their larger historical contexts, the authors show how the experiences of Virginia women varied by race, class, age, ...

An extraordinary American comes to life in this vivid, incisive portrait of the early days of the republic—and the birth of modern politics hen the roar of the Revolution had finally died down, a new generation of American politicians was summoned to the Potomac to assemble the nation's newly minted capital. Into that unsteady atmosphere which would soon enough erupt into another conflict with Britain in 1812, Dolley Madison arrived, alongside her husband James. Within a few years, she had...

George C. Daughan's magnificently detailed account of the battle of Lexington and Concord will challenge the prevailing narrative of the American War of Independence. It was, Daughan argues, based as much on economics as on politics. When Benjamin Franklin wrote home about living conditions in Britain and Ireland, his countrymen were appalled. Could the Crown's motive be to reduce the prosperous American colonies to such serfdom? This idea inspired the vast turnout of Patriot militiamen at...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A revelation . . . a book in the Caro mold, using Lady Bird, along with tapes and transcripts of her entire White House diary, to tell the history of America during the Johnson years.”—The New York TimesThe inspiration for the documentary film The Lady Bird Diaries, premiering November 13 on HuluPerhaps the most underestimated First Lady of the twentieth century, Lady Bird Johnson was ...

In sixteen wonderful stories, Pulitzer Prize–winning author James A. Michener burrows deep into the secret lives of animals and the hidden world of nature. Here he sheds light on nature’s most awesome and beguiling handiwork, from the sublime shaping and reshaping of earth’s lands and seas to a ridiculous armadillo’s assault on a bit of Texas real estate that paid off handsomely. Handpicked from Michener’s most popular books, these mini-masterpieces are imbued with the music of the spheres...

The dramatic story of the explosive 1894 clash of industry, labor, and government that shook the nation and marked a turning point for AmericaThe Edge of Anarchy offers a vivid account of the greatest uprising of working people in American history. At the pinnacle of the Gilded Age, a boycott of Pullman sleeping cars by hundreds of thousands of railroad employees brought commerce to a standstill across much of the country. Famine threatened, riots broke ou...

A Romeo & Juliet tale for Hamilton! fans.Love, Theodosia is a smart, funny, swoony take on a fiercely intelligent woman (Aaron Burr's daughter, Theodosia) with feminist ideas and ideals far ahead of her time. Not only a work of well-researched historical fiction, but a refreshing spin on the Hamiltonian era and the characters we have grown to know and love so well. Goldstein shines a bright light on Theodosia, who has long deserved center stage, a...

Get a “fresh perspective on the American Revolution” as an award-winning author reveals the true story of two young women who defied their Loyalist families to marry radical patriots, Henry Knox and Benedict Arnold (Shelf Awareness).When Peggy Shippen, the celebrated blonde belle of Philadelphia, married American military hero Benedict Arnold in 1779, she anticipated a life of fame and fortune, but financial debts and political intrigues prompted her to co...