Probably best to stay in for another week. Here are a few recommendations for anyone who is interested in American History.
Heirs To The Founders
by H.W. Brands (2018)
The generation which succeeded the Founders had enormous shoes to fill. Senators Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, and Daniel Webster were three Americans who stepped in and wore those shoes well. The author does a good job chronicling the highlights of these senators as they maneuvered after the Founders and before the nation would split up into a war. As smooth as the flow and pace of the book is, at times the author lists really long quotes that leave the impression that some chapters may have taken about 10 minutes to write courtesy of copy and paste, but it’s a good book and some quotes from these great orators deserve to be presented at length.
Braddock’s Defeat
by David Preston (2015)
The Battle of the Monongahela was a spectacular disaster for colonial Britain. The French were making gains west of the Appalachians Mountains that were encroaching on British settlers. So in 1755 the British sailed an army from Ireland, to land at Alexandria, to then march to what is today Pittsburgh, and build the road that would take them as they go. The feat and the cost were tremendous. And right before the British got to the French fort, they were attacked by a force of French and Indians that demolished the redcoats. The outcome was a surprise to its backers and the cause and effect of this huge loss directly impacted the colonists on their own march; to revolution. This book takes you along with General Edward Braddock’s army in a vivid way. Among the cast of important characters is Braddock’s aid-de-camp, George Washington.
Our Lost Constitution
by Senator Mike Lee (2015)
I usually don’t read books by sitting office holders, but this book is grounded in a historical setting and Senator Lee is a favorite, so I gave the book a try and I am glad I did. The author hits on our current deviation from some very important clauses in the US Constitution. Each highlighted clause is explained in its context of the Constitutional Convention where the clause originated and explains why it so important to maintain consistency in how we interpret our Constitution. And the biggest take away for sports fans is the brief mention that the Philadelphia Eagles got their name and mascot from a government program of executive agency regulations, one of many of the tremendous expansion of federal government control from the New Deal. Just another great reason, among many, to hate on the Philadelphia Eagles.
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