The American Story: Conversations with Master Historians

I found this to be a highly enjoyable, very informative book. I particularly liked the format of the author interviewing a number of highly renowned authors covering the American Story. In some cases, the interviews seem quite casual, with Rubenstein leading his interviewees with quite specific questions. In other cases, the questions are broad, with the authors waxing poetic with innumerable interesting commentaries about how the character of key people plays a leading role in shaping our country.

For what it’s worth, though, I’d like to make a few observations, based upon reading a number of other books, especially about Revolutionary War figures:

Kindle Page 2 of 396 (repeated on page 22): “…he [Washington] asked not to be buried for two days.” Actually, according to the most reliable source, Washington said, “Have me decently buried; and do not let my body be put into the Vault in less than three days after I am dead.” Washington spoke this sometime just before he died between 10 and 11 pm on 14 December 1799, and Tobias Lear, his secretary, recorded this in his diary for 14 December. On 15 December, Thomas Law (husband of Martha's granddaughter Elizabeth) transcribed Lear's diary into a letter to a Mrs. Barry (likely the wife of Commodore John Barry, US Navy Chief); one handwritten copy says two days; a printed copy says three days. On 16 December, Lear wrote the time frame as two days in a letter to his mother. It's quite possible that Washington's dying close to midnight may explain the discrepancy. In any case, Washington’s body was placed in the Vault on 18 December, satisfying his wish. An internet search of sources gives 1050 citing three days; 311 citing two days. Mount Vernon’s website cites three days.

Kindle Page 4 of 396: “Although George Washington had never led more than a couple of hundred men, he was the most experienced military leader in Virginia,…” In fact, while head of the Virginia Regiment, Washington commanded around 1,000 men, at one time around 1,400. Remember Horatio Gates, formerly a British captain and American militia captain (NY), was also experienced militarily, as was Charles Lee, formerly a British Lieutenant Colonel. Friends and near-neighbors, both were living in Virginia at the start of the Revolutionary War in an area which is now West Virginia. However, the point could be legitimately made, that of the three, Washington was the most experienced in building an army from scratch, an expertise America desperately needed.

Kindle Page 9 of 396: “This [1776, presumably right before Trenton/Princeton] was the darkest moment in the war.” Depending upon the length of “moments,” one could also argue that 1780 was the darkest timeframe of the war, with American defeats at Charleston (worst defeat of the war) and Camden (serious defeat of Gates’ army), the traitorous betrayal of Benedict Arnold, and inflation becoming rampant, with Congress unable to pay the troops, leading to mutinies beginning on 1 January 1781. In April 1781, Washington would write: "We are at the end of our tether…”

Kindle Page 10 of 396: “When he heard this, King George III said, ‘If George Washington gives up power, as I hear he’s going to, he’s the greatest man in the world.’” In fact, when told by the American painter Benjamin West that Washington was going to resign his military command, King George III is said to have said that, if Washington did that, he would be “the greatest character of the age.”

Kindle Page 13 of 396: “He [Washington] was elected unanimously. And under the Constitution, whoever got the most votes from the electors was president and whoever got the second most was vice president. So the vice president was John Adams.” For clarification of exactly how the election was set up (to elect Washington unanimously while Adams getting the second most votes), Wikipedia says: “The Constitution created the offices of President and Vice President, fully separating these offices from Congress. The Constitution established an Electoral College, based on each state's Congressional representation, in which each elector would cast two votes for two different candidates,…”

Kindle Page 21 of 396: “Washington didn’t expect a French invasion [Quasi War with France, July 1798 – September 1800], but he was willing to lend his prestige to the administration to calm public fears, which were soon dispelled.” I believe Washington’s involvement in the Quasi [undeclared] War was a little more complicated than this. He spent months (perhaps up to eight) setting up his military organization, and due to picking Hamilton as his immediate subordinate, got into a dispute with Adams and effectively ruined his relationship with Knox. During this period, as well, the Alien and Sedition Acts were passed, with Washington privately concerned about the “French Plot” to take control of the direction of American foreign policy, moving America away from neutrality and into the war between England and revolutionary France and onto the side of France.

Kindle Page 31 of 396 "Only about a third of the country was for independence. A third of the country was against it. And the remaining third, in the good old human way, was waiting to see how it came out.” This ratio is supposedly one originating with something John Adams said, but not, as I recall, about the Revolutionary War. Actually, he was talking at the time about the American view of the French Revolution. As regards, the American Revolution, though, other historians place the ratio somewhere around 10% for, 10% against, and 80% just wanting to be left alone. However, as the revolution progressed, the percentages varied wildly depending upon prospects for independence. It's been written that, at most, those for the Revolution did not exceed 45% and those against 20%.

Later on that page: “It [the Revolutionary War] was the longest war in our history except for Vietnam.” I’m not sure when this interview was made. Certainly as of November 2019 the war in Afghanistan has now eclipsed in length even the Vietnam War.

Note: The index in the Kindle version doesn’t always link to the correct Kindle page(s).

I make these comments just as a small matter of record, not to diminish Rubenstein’s amazing accomplishment of bringing together such a renowned cast of expert historians. And, I’ll happily modify this review if my observations are wrong or the book is revised. However, I know from my own writing the difficulty in fact-checking and proof-reading: there’s always a new, perhaps more valid source one finds after the book is published; and in every new revision, for every two typos taken out, a new one unfortunately somehow goes in. C’est la vie! : )

But back to the book itself – it’s a joy to read! Here is one of my favorite passages, from David McCullough’s chapter: “One of the lines that appears again and again in the Founding Fathers’ writings is a line from Alexander Pope’s ‘Essay on Man’: ‘Act well your part, there all the honor lies.’ In other words, history has cast you in these roles and you better damn well play that role to the best of your ability. And why? ‘There all the honor lies.’ Nobody talks about honor anymore. Not money, not fame, not power—honor. And they really believed that. Of course, they didn’t always live up to it, but they believed it."

Bottom line, I highly recommend this book, a monumental conversation about the importance of high character in leading figures throughout our distinctly American Story! A must-read!!

“Character is Key for Liberty!” Check out how “Character, Culture, and Constitution” played “key” roles in the American and French Revolutions: [[ASIN:1537323377 George Washington's Liberty Key: Mount Vernon's Bastille Key – the Mystery and Magic of Its Body, Mind, and Soul]], a best-seller at Mount Vernon.

David Rubenstein’s The American Story: Conversations with Master Historians is a fun, informative read. David uses his excellent contact list to interview renowned historians on 16 very important Americans. He uses an interview style, the read is breezy, you’ll learn something new about each person, and you’ll be yearning to learn more about famous people in US history.

For instance, you’ll learn about the raw political power of LBJ that was wasted by JFK, JFK’s life-threating illness and drug use (Addison’s disease) and his ineffectiveness with his civil rights agenda, Charles Lindbergh’s amorous life and isolation from his children, Thomas Jefferson’s near bankruptcy and aversion to speeches (yet he was a master of the written word), Ronald Reagan’s conversion to conservatism, and so much more.

Bias Alert: Rubenstein is unable to keep his political opinions out of the narrative. His disdain for Republicans and conservatives appears throughout. Who would have thought, says Rubenstein, that conservatives are angry people and Democrats are optimists. So for instance Rubenstein is barely able to credit any Reagan accomplishments. Overt political bias is the only flaw of the book.

Still, I highly recommend the read.

This is a collection of Congressional Dialogue interviews conducted by David M. Rubenstein at the Library of Congress. The general standard of the interviews is quite high; it is a fine piece of historical work. This is so for several reasons: Rubenstein has selected the most knowledgeable subjects to interview; he carefully introduces each interview and provides the appropriate context; his questions are well thought out and evoke valuable responses from the interviewees; and everyone just seems comfortable and enthusiastic. Lately, Rubenstein has become a philanthropic megastar with substantial gifts to (among others) Monticello, the Jefferson Memorial restoration, as well as providing rare copies of the Magna Charta and the Federalist Papers to historical centers. He also is an extremely knowledgeable student of American history, well equipped to hold his own with interviewees of such stature.

There are 16 interviews. Among the best are Jack Warren on Washington; Jon Meacham on Jefferson; Walter Isaacson on Franklin; Ron Chernow on Hamilton; A. Scott Berg on Lindbergh (full of surprises); Robert Caro on LBJ and Robert Moses; and an excellent H.W. Brands on Reagan. Chief Justice Roberts is also included in an interview about the Court. But really all are outstanding, because Rubinstein has selected carefully from those who have written extensively on the subject of their interview, and asked perceptive and informed questions.

The remaining essays focus on John Adams (David McCullough); Founding Mothers (Cokie Roberts); Lincoln (Doris Kearns Goodwin); FDR (Jay Winik); Ike (Jean Edward Smith); JFK (Richard Reeves); Martin Luther King (Taylor Branch); and Richard Nixon (Bob Woodward). One of the strengths of the book, and a considerable one at that, is that even when an interviewee is discussing a familiar figure, out pop some interesting new facts or angles. The interviews on Hamilton, Ike, JFK, and King and Reagan especially manifest this and make for interesting reading. Like M&Ms, reading just a single interview is hard to do: the richness of the material just draws the reader in. So thanks again to David Rubenstein for another important historical contribution.

I LOVED this book!!
I sent it to a friend as a gift
After some "coaxing, I found out that the book was readable but misprinted---ends of sentences were cut off
Unfortunately, the note that I put in the gift was not sent
The gift recipient was OK, but I am embarrassed
Poor "quality control"

Seemed very shallow.)

I love the Q and A format but found that the author interjected from his knowledge more than necessary.

I thought that DR interviews were so informative and interesting. Highly recommend!

It was reported recently that three quarters of natural born American citizens cannot name the three branches of government, and 90% could not pass the citizenship test. Why? Because reading books like this isn’t required and no one is learning civics and history. My father was a Chicago public schools high school history teacher. I grew up with a strong sense that history matters. For those of you who perhaps don’t know as much as you should about our history as a nation, start here. It is outstanding and it will change your life. When you’re finished, pass it on.

A great read if you want to never, ever again allow the US to approach the brink of becoming an autocracy, with such horrible corruption and abuses of power. Reminds all of us how we must work hard to keep our precious democracy.

I read a lot of history books; McClay and Chernow are two of my current favorites. I hesitated buying this one because I wasn't sure it would be detailed enough, especially after reading the other authors. However, it's been a fantastic read. I thought "hmmn the format (interviews) sounds interesting", so I bought it.
There are some great discussions in this book. I've learned some cool stuff that I hadn't read in other books.
Well worth it, and a great gift for other history buffs.

David Fisher~~