Book cover of A Nation of Deadbeats: An Uncommon History of America's Financial Disasters by Scott Reynolds Nelson
Biography & History

A Nation of Deadbeats: An Uncommon History of America’s Financial Disasters

The story of America is a story of dreamers and defaulters.  It is also a story of dramatic financial panics that defined the nation, created its political parties, and forced tens of thousands to escape their creditors to new towns in Texas, Florida, and California.  As far back as 1792, these panics boiled down to one simple question: Would Americans pay their debts—or were we just a nation of deadbeats? […Learn More]

Book cover of American Dialogue: The Founders and Us by Joseph Ellis
History

American Dialogue: The Founders and Us

The award-winning author of Founding Brothers and The Quartet now gives us a deeply insightful examination of the relevance of the views of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and John Adams to some of the most divisive issues in America today. […Learn More]

Book cover of Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence by Joseph Ellis
History

Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence

The summer months of 1776 witnessed the most consequential events in the story of our country’s founding. While the thirteen colonies came together and agreed to secede from the British Empire, the British were dispatching the largest armada ever to cross the Atlantic to crush the rebellion in the cradle. The Continental Congress and the Continental Army were forced to make decisions on the run, improvising as history congealed around them. […Learn More]

Book cover of Tigerland: 1968-1969: A City Divided, a Nation Torn Apart, and a Magical Season of Healing by Wil Haygood
History

Tigerland: 1968-1969: A City Divided, a Nation Torn Apart, and a Magical Season of Healing

Against the backdrop of one of the most tumultuous periods in recent American history, as riots and demonstrations spread across the nation, the Tigers of poor, segregated East High School in Columbus, Ohio did something no team from one school had ever done before: they won the state basketball and baseball championships in the same year. They defeated bigger, richer, whiter teams across the state and along the way brought blacks and whites together, eased a painful racial divide throughout the state, and overcame extraordinary obstacles on their road to success. […Learn More]

Book cover of American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies in the Founding of the Republic by Joseph Ellis
History

American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies in the Founding of the Republic

Acclaimed historian Joseph J. Ellis brings his unparalleled talents to this riveting account of the early years of the Republic.

The last quarter of the eighteenth century remains the most politically creative era in American history, when a dedicated group of men undertook a bold experiment in political ideals. It was a time of both triumphs and tragedies—all of which contributed to the shaping of our burgeoning nation. Ellis casts an incisive eye on the gradual pace of the American Revolution and the contributions of such luminaries as Washington, Jefferson, and Madison, and brilliantly analyzes the failures of the founders to adequately solve the problems of slavery and the treatment of Native Americans. […Learn More]