Patriot Presidents

In commemoration of Presidents' Day, this week's review examines the legacies of the first six presidents of the United States.

Posted on February 17, 2025 in Reviews of the Month

Patriot Presidents: From George Washington to John Quincy Adams

Leuchtenburg, William E. Oxford, 2024
240p bibl index, 9780197598856 $29.99, 9780197598870

This book by the prolific Leuchtenburg (emer., history, Univ. of North Carolina), who at 101 years of age optimistically hopes to complete a history of the entire US presidency, will stir renewed interest in the first six US presidents. Skillfully drawing from both original sources and subsequent historical interpretation, Leuchtenburg engagingly describes the evolution of the US presidency at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 and colorfully highlights the strengths and weaknesses of its first occupants. Washington was the dignified and ever-conscious precedent setter. Adams was vain but avoided war with England. Jefferson’s purchase of the Louisiana Territory highlighted the superiority of his first term over his second. Madison was a better Constitution-maker than chief administrator. Monroe was a skillful administrator who proclaimed the Monroe Doctrine and promoted national unity. John Quincy Adams’s prior diplomatic service (including his role as Monroe’s secretary of state) and subsequent congressional service outshined his presidency, although his vision of an expansive national government ultimately prevailed. This volume is on par with Gordon Wood’s Revolutionary Characters: What Made the Founders Different (CH, Apr’07, 44-4666) and is especially timely as the 250th anniversary of 1776 approaches.

Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels.
Reviewer: J. R. Vile, Middle Tennessee State University
Subject: Social & Behavioral Sciences – Political Science – U.S. Politics
Choice Issue: Dec 2024

Patriot Presidents

In commemoration of Presidents' Day, this week's review examines the legacies of the first six presidents of the United States.