Review by Choice Review
Award-winning journalist Thomas Ricks provides an analysis of the first four presidents' educational backgrounds in order to demonstrate the impact of Greco-Roman thought on their formative experiences and political achievements during the Revolutionary and Early Republican eras. The well-written, well-organized summaries of each president's education and philosophical influences are instructive. The author shows that the connections between classical thought were sometimes indirect, funneled through Enlightenment thought, but he is successful in making his case that the presidents and elements of their actions and accomplishments were shaped by their exposure to or interpretations of the classical world. Highlights of the book are discussions of the importance of the Scottish Enlightenment, derived from elements of classical thought, and of Washington's experiences as a militia leader. Relating accomplishments or behaviors to classical elements is not as successful as is connecting educational influences. By omitting George Mason's contributions to the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, for instance, Ricks gives more credit to Jefferson's and Madison's classical interpretations than perhaps is due. The book will serve as excellent introductory reading for students or historians who are enthusiasts of the Revolutionary or Early Republican periods, but classical and early modern scholars may find the work lacking in new insights. Summing Up: Recommended. With reservations. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; graduate students; general readers. --Kimberly Lynn Casey, Northwest Missouri State University
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Pulitzer Prize winner Ricks (Churchill and Orwell) delivers an immersive and enlightening look at how the classical educations of the first four U.S. presidents (George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison) influenced their thinking and the shape of American democracy. According to Ricks, the evolution of Washington's military strategy during the Revolutionary War drew from Roman general Fabius's defeat of Hannibal in 203 BCE. Ricks also documents classical antecedents in the construction of the Constitution and Thomas Jefferson's architectural plans for government buildings in Washington, D.C., and analyzes 18th-century opinions on the ancient world expressed in Robert Dodsley's textbook The Preceptor ("a blueprint for the Declaration of Independence") and Joseph Addison's play Cato (which inspired Patrick Henry's famous line "Give me liberty--or give me death"). The Amphictyonic League, a confederation of early Greek cities, is partly responsible for the U.S. Senate's equalized representation regardless of state size, Ricks points out. The book closes with suggested steps for returning America "to the course intended by the Revolutionary generation," including "don't panic," "re-focus on the public good," and "wake up Congress." With incisive selections from primary sources and astute cultural and political analysis, this lucid and entertaining account is a valuable take on American history. (Nov.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Ricks (Churchill and Orwell) does something quite remarkable: he takes a seemingly academic topic--the Greco-Roman education of the Founding Fathers--and makes it resonate with grand relevance. Readers get to meet young Jefferson, the Epicurean romantic; James Madison, a free-thinking student at Princeton; and John Adams, the Ciceronian. The education of the Founders, so often relegated to a sentence or two, is the theme of this book, which makes it unique among the plethora of works on them. The Roman Republic, and the lessons of its fall, were prime themes in the student lives of the Founding Fathers. Colonial collegiate politics, including the divergence between radical Princeton and conservative King's College (Columbia) is discussed. Scotland's contribution to the American Revolution is also highlighted. Ricks further explores the descent of classicism in the new republic, and explains Aristotle's thoughts on the concept of "natural slavery." The author comments on current politics in the beginning and end of the work, which, on the one hand, apply to classical principles discussed within, but on the other may date this edition in a few years. VERDICT Offering a look at the Founders rarely glimpsed, Ricks successfully argues that America needs to rediscover its classical roots.--Jeffrey Meyer, Mt. Pleasant P.L., IA
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
An exploration of the major influences of America's first four presidents. "What just happened?" That was the question that Pulitzer Prize winner Ricks--along with tens of millions of Americans--asked after the 2016 presidential election. The author also asked, "What kind of nation do we now have? Is this what was designed or intended by the nation's founders?" He proceeded to study their writings, which turned out to pay some attention to the British Constitution and French Enlightenment but more to the ancients. According to Ricks, George Washington soaked up classic Roman values of honor, self-control, and, above all, "virtue," by which the Romans "meant public-mindedness." John Adams considered himself a modern Cicero, raging against tyranny. Jefferson preferred the Greeks, a more philosophical culture but also (unlike Rome) a fractious confederation during its golden age. This may explain why he, unlike his colleagues, felt no great need for the Constitution. The scholarly Madison spent years in a methodical study of ancient political systems, enabling him to steer the Constitutional Convention through sheer expertise. Ricks admits that by the time Washington assumed office in 1789, the classical model was running out of steam. Both he and Adams raged against "faction," an evil during the Roman Republic. Jefferson was angry, as well, but proceeded to found the first political party. No one foresaw the Industrial Revolution, the arrival of democracy ("mob rule" to the Founding Fathers), or a civil war, but the U.S. adapted. However, Ricks emphasizes that the Founders' reluctance to confront slavery embedded a racism that continues to poison the American political system. The author reassures readers that the durable Constitutional order can handle a Donald Trump, and he concludes with 10 strategies for putting the nation back on course. All are admirable, although several--e.g., campaign finance reform, congressional reform, mutual tolerance--regularly fail in practice. Penetrating history with a modest dollop of optimism. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
