DescriptionRose Kennedy experienced some of the 20th century's greatest triumphs and its most tragic losses within her own family. This is an intimate and revealing portrait of the woman - wife, mother, political matriarch - whose faith in her family and her religion withstood the campaign clashes, embarrassing scandals, and heart-wrenching assassinations others only knew from the news. The true source of power behind an American dynasty, Rose Kennedy knew a life of privilege that cost her everything she held dear. This riveting biography sets the record straight, so we can meet the "Queen Mother of Camelot" as she really was.
DescriptionA publisher, printer, author, scientist, and inventor - and a success in every field - Benjamin Franklin made his greatest accomplishments as America's first diplomat. When he sailed for England in 1764, he intended to petition Parliament in London for a redress of grievances of the state of Pennsylvania, but his energies were soon enlisted by the whole of the Thirteen Colonies. This recording - compiled from Franklin's own letters, papers, and original documents - recounts the diplomat's brilliant campaign to have Grenville's infamous Stamp Act repealed.
DescriptionThe Constitution of the United States created a nation with a strong centralized government. In 1791, the Constitution was adjusted to include 10 amendments, commonly referred to as the Bill of Rights. These were guarantees of individual liberty upon which critics of the Constitution had insisted. Changing times raise changing questions. What of black rights, the right of former slaves to vote? And do women not share in that privilege? How many terms should a president serve? These and other issues were resolved through additional amendments to the Constitution. Throughout America's history, the Constitution has remained a living document. Here, each of the 26 amendments is presented in the unique historical context that gave it birth.
DescriptionThe clashes between President Abraham Lincoln and Chief Justice Roger B. Taney over slavery, secession, and Lincoln's constitutional war powers went to the heart of Lincoln's presidency. Lincoln and Taney's bitter disagreements began with Taney's Dred…
DescriptionFor a generation of Democrats, Terry McAuliffe has been the ultimate political insider: strategist and spokesperson for the party, confidant for the candidates, mediator among party leaders, and, without question, the most successful fundraiser in political history. Now, McAuliffe's energetic memoir provides readers with a fly-on-the-wall view, from the front lines to the back rooms where deals are made, strategies conceived, initiatives launched, and elections won. Or, sometimes, lost. With revealing anecdotes that take you from the Carter-Kennedy primary contest in 1980 through the Clinton years to the near victories and crushing losses of the 2000 and 2004 presidential campaigns, this is a fascinating, hilarious, in-your-face look at Congress and Washington, D.C., behind the scenes.
DescriptionBoswell's biography of his friend and hero Samuel Johnson is an acknowledged classic, full of humorous anecdote and rich characterization. Johnson's complex humanity (his depression, fear of death, intellectual brilliance and rough humor) is set within a vivid picture of 18th century London peopled by personalities of the time such as Sir Joshua Reynolds, John Wilkes, Oliver Goldsmith, and David Garrick.
DescriptionThe American century opened with the election of that quintessentially American adventurer, Theodore Roosevelt. Louis Auchincloss' biography introduces us to the man behind the many myths of Theodore Roosevelt. From his early involvement in the politics of New York City and then New York State, we trace his celebrated military career and finally his ascent to the national political stage. Caricatured through history as the "bull moose, " Roosevelt was in fact a man of extraordinary discipline whose refined and literate tastes actually helped spawn his fascination with the rough-and-ready worlds of war and wilderness. Auchincloss briskly recounts the significant contributions of Roosevelt's career and administration.
DescriptionOn July 1, 1987, Judge Robert H. Bork was nominated to the Supreme Court by Ronald Reagan - but by October 23 of that year, his confirmation was denied. In this candid account of his experiences, he describes the Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing from his point of view. He also expounds on his view of politics versus the law, which he was able to see in action, close up, during the second half of 1987.
DescriptionOver the centuries, two important beliefs arose in Europe: a faith that man could order his own destiny and that progress was normal. By 1900, doubts arose concerning traditional Western values. The continuing problems of the world's poor, environmental deterioration, the inequality of women, and continued warfare pose real questions about the advancement of the human race. The Triumph of the West is noted historian J.M. Roberts's engrossing, well-reasoned, in-depth essay on the nature of the dominance of Western civilization, its rise to global hegemony, and its ambiguous "triumph". Roberts's interest is not in judging the West's push toward greater cultural preeminence but in gaining a better understanding of the present by analyzing what got us here.
DescriptionRussell Kirk has ingeniously combined into a living whole the private Burke and the public Burke. He gives us a fresh assessment of Burke, a statesman enjoying even greater influence today than in his own time. He lucidly unfolds Burke's philosophy, sho…
