American Scripture, Pauline Maier
American Scripture, Pauline Maier
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

American Scripture
Making the Declaration of Independence

Author: Pauline Maier

Narrator: Jonathan Yen

Unabridged: 11 hr 37 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 09/18/2019


Synopsis

Maier describes the transformation of the Second Continental Congress into a national government, unlike anything that preceded or followed it, and with more authority than the colonists would ever have conceded to the British Parliament.

In Maier's hands, the Declaration of Independence is brought close to us. She lets us hear the voice of the people as revealed in the other "declarations" of 1776: the local resolutions—most of which have gone unnoticed over the past two centuries—that explained, advocated, and justified Independence and undergirded Congress's work. Detective-like, she discloses the origins of key ideas and phrases in the Declaration and unravels the complex story of its drafting and of the group-editing job which angered Thomas Jefferson.

Maier also reveals what happened to the Declaration after the signing and celebration: how it was largely forgotten and then revived to buttress political arguments of the nineteenth century; and, most important, how Abraham Lincoln ensured its persistence as a living force in American society. Finally, she shows how by the very act of venerating the Declaration as we do—by holding it as sacrosanct, akin to holy writ—we may actually be betraying its purpose and its power.

About Pauline Maier

Pauline Maier is the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of American History at MIT. She is the author of several books and textbooks on American history, including From Resistance to Revolution, The Old Revolutionaries, and American Scripture, which was on the New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice list of the best 11 books of 1997 and a finalist for the National Book Critics' Circle Award. Pauline received her Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1968, and she currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Mark

Every year on the Fourth of July, Americans gather together to eat grilled food and set off fireworks in celebration of the founding of their nation. The day is regarded as the nation’s birthday, yet the choice of date is in some respects an arbitrary one. Arguably as good of a case could be made fo......more

Goodreads review by John

A bit of thematic reading for July. Maier tells two stories, both well. The first of these debunks the myth that the Declaration of Independence was largely the product of Thomas Jefferson's singular genius -- a myth Jefferson had a habit of encouraging later in life. Against this she lays out the h......more

Goodreads review by Michael

It's a good book for those who want to go in-depth on the thought, work, debate, drafting, and subsequent history and influence of the Declaration of Independence, but not be appealing for those looking for recreational reading. At times, it reads too much like an academic journal article, particula......more

Goodreads review by Erik

This book, a history of the decision to break with the British Empire and of the document which officially declared it so, focuses mostly on events of the late eighteenth century. Its point, however, is discovered only towards its conclusion, beginning with the discussion of the Lincoln-Douglas deba......more

Solid, with a couple of good points but one caveat. The first big point is that maybe, instead of celebrating either July 4 or, per John Adams, July 2 (the day Congress officially declared America independent), we should celebrate May 15. (In turn, that would honor Adams more.) On that date, Congress......more