The Last Founding Father: James Monroe and a Nation's Call to Greatness
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.16 (775 Votes) |
| Asin | : | B003R4ZBJG |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 400 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2014-08-18 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
In this lively and compelling biography Harlow Giles Unger reveals the dominant political figure of a generation. Mentored by each of America’s first four presidents, Monroe was unquestionably the best prepared president in our history.Like David McCullough’s John Adams and Jon Meacham’s recent book on Andrew Jackson, this new biography of Monroe is both a solid read and stellar scholarshiphistory in the grand tradition.. The country embraced Monroe’s dreams of empire and elected him to two terms, the second time unanimously. minister to France and Britain, governor of Virginia, secretary of state, secretary of war, and finally America’s fifth president. A fierce fighter in four critical Revolutionary War battles and a courageous survivor of Valley Forge and a near-fatal wound at the Battle of Trenton, James Monroe (17511831) went on t
Interesting, but excessively worshipful Unger provides a service with this biography of the unjustly neglected Monroe. The book provides much valuable information about Monroe's life-long service to this country. The basic problem is Unger's Monroe-could-do-no-wrong attitude. While others might be self-interested, Monroe supposedly always had the best interests of the country at heart and virtually never made a mistake except perhaps in naively always thinking the best of others. So in his traditionally criticized service as ambassador to France Unger views Monroe as performing perfectly. In any dispute . Interesting but needs less effusiveness, more analysis M. Bailey This is a brand new publication, and I'd hoped for a thoughtful treatment of Monroe's life and career such as McCullough or Ellis might offer. Instead, the book earned just 3½ stars. My main complaints are that the author appears overly enamored with his subject, using effusive and extravagant descriptions of him at every opportunity, and that Monroe never quite stands out as the main character in his own story. I can't quite put my finger on why this is so, unless the author meant the book less as a biography and more as a history of the times.There is litt. "Don’t tread on me!" according to Steve Marson. I have embarked on an intellectual/historical trek that involves reading every US Presidential biography. Thus far, I have read:Ron Chernow WASHINGTON: A LIFEDavid McCullough JOHN ADAMSJon Meacham THOMAS JEFFERSON: THE ART OF POWERDuane Ostler JAMES MADISON: AMERICAN PROPHET.Harlow Giles Unger’s THE LAST FOUNDING FATHER: JAMES MONROE AND A NATION’S CALL TO GREATNESSCurrently, I have begun Harlow Giles Unger’s JOHN QUINCY ADAMS. Although I have been enjoying the exploration of lives of our presidents, I must note that the quality of writing and the
Unger presents President Monroe in a way that makes him more real and accessible than high school textbooks…Mr. Kirkus, 8/15/09 “A cogent reexamination of a relatively neglected American icon…Unger makes a solid and cohesive argument for Monroe’s importance in the early years of the United States…A worthy attempt to rescue Monroe from obscurity for a mainstream audience.”Library Journal, 9/1/09 “A well-written biography…Unger presents