The American Presidency has been dramatically shaped by many prominent figures throughout history. Each of these figures has influenced the office of the president, adding traditions, expanding powers, and providing precedence for future presidential actions.

I have titled the books in my collection, “Precedence in the American Presidency.” The collection contains works that record the lives and events that have molded the American presidency into the office it is today. The volumes collected include a variety of written works, from biographies, to historical essays, to a book of collected speeches. But each work uniquely enhances the picture of the ever-evolving American presidency.

The historical writings in this collection include The Federalist and Democracy in America, which provide insight into the importance of the presidency for any democracy in general and the American government in particular. These works provide a historical and philosophical framework for the remainder of the collection.

For instance, in writing the Federalist Papers, Alexander Hamilton provides a convincing case for many of the powers of the American executive branch of government. Articles 67-77 give excellent insight into these necessary powers and how they have benefited the United States. In contrast, Shadow provides insight into the effect the independent counsel law has had since the presidency of Gerald Ford. With the increased scrutiny caused by this law, presidents since Ford have sought to maintain an executive privilege through secrecy and sometimes, deception.

Biographies in this collection take the obvious role of filling in the gaps of the story and enlightening the characters of history. Each president has had his own talents, strengths, and weaknesses. We see the dramatic effect each individual has had on the office of president. Washington wrote, “I walk on untrodden ground. There is scarcely any part of my conduct which may not hereafter be drawn into precedent.” Thus, when Washington formed the concept of a presidential cabinet (composed of a secretary of state, secretary of war, secretary of treasury, and attorney general), he was creating an entirely new concept. Likewise, when Lincoln issued the ground-breaking Emancipation Proclamation freeing all slaves in rebellious states of the Union, he understood that this would reposition the North-South debate solely on the issue of slavery, thus changing the political terrain forevermore. After the invasion of South Korea by North Korea, Truman lobbied hard in the United Nations to gain support for action on an international scale, expanding the acceptable role of the president in international affairs. Each of these examples shows how American Presidents acted and spoke and by so doing, drastically changed the landscape that future presidents would face.

This collection documents the history, personalities, and historical issues that shaped the American Presidency. By evaluating the historical context and the characteristics of the historical figures, we gain a better understanding of the historical evolution of the office of president.

Bailyn, Bernard. Faces of Revolution: Personalities and Themes in the Struggle for American Independence. New York: Vintage Books, 1992.

Bailyn, a Harvard professor, provides a fascinating series of essays about the people who influenced the foundations of American government. Two of the essays contained in the volume concern presidents (Adams and Jefferson). Although not explicitly about the American executive office, these essays provide valuable insight into the historical context and figures of the time.

Depew, Chauncey M., LL. D., Editor. The Library of Oratory: Ancient and Modern. 15 vols. Akron, Ohio: J. C. Tichenor, 1902. Volume VIII.

This volume contains moving speeches given by Henry Ward Beecher concerning the succession of the Southern states and the passing of President Lincoln as well as speeches given by Stephen Douglas in the 1858 senatorial debate with Lincoln. Also contained are several of Lincoln’s famous addresses including his first and second inaugural addresses, his campaign speech at the Cooper Institute, and his moving Farewell address given in Springfield, Illinois in 1861.

de Tocqueville, Alexis. Democracy in America. Trans. Henry Reeve. New York: The Colonial Press, 1900.

This is the most literary of the popular translations of de Tocqueville’s famous work; Reeve does justice to a marvelous work documenting the American form of democracy. Thorough documentation of the executive office of President and the strength of the American executive system make this work a necessary companion to understanding the American presidency.

Freeman, Douglas Southall. Washington: An Abridgement in one volume. Ed. Richard Harwell. Norwalk, Connecticut: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1968.

An abridgement of the Pulitzer Prize winning, seven volume work by Douglas Freeman, this core work is often considered the authority on the life of Washington. This abridgement has been praised for its smooth writing style and the way in which it preserves the greatness of the original.

Kunhardt, Philip B., Jr., Philip B. Kunhardt III, and Peter W. Kunhardt. The American President. New York: Riverhead Books, 1999.

A fascinating illustrated collection of biographies of all presidents organized by genre of president rather than by chronology. For instance, war heroes George Washington, William Henry Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, and Dwight D. Eisenhower are all together; presidents expanding executive powers, Andrew Jackson, Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, and Richard Nixon, are grouped together. The book provides an insightful categorization of the presidents of the United States.

Hamilton, Alexander, John Jay, and James Madison. The Federalist. Ed. Robert Scigliano. New York: Random House, 2000.

This edition of the Federalist contains updated authorship based on Mosteller’s and Lawrence’s scientific work with Bayesian statistics (1984). The introduction by Robert Scigliano gives an excellent summation of the controversy over the authorship of the various articles. Although not as thoroughly annotated as Paul Leicester Ford’s 1898 edition, this work provides decidedly more insight into the controversy over authorship.

McCullough, David. John Adams. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2001.

This biography by the celebrated historian documents a president often forgotten and thought to be overshadowed by his predecessor and successor. This is a marvelously researched biography of Adams exploring his own struggles within and his sacrifice for the country he loved.

Sandburg, Carl. Abraham Lincoln. Norwalk, Connecticut: The Eaton Press, 1954.

After finishing his six-volume work on the biography of Lincoln, Carl Sandburg resolved to write a biography more accessible to the common man. To this end, Abraham Lincoln was completed in 1954. The focus of this book is on Lincoln’s life and personality. The book does remarkably well in presenting the human side of what history views as a largely sterile president.

Truman, Margaret. Harry S. Truman. New York: William Morrow & Co., 1972.

This work provides a useful, if slightly biased, biography of one of the greatest democratic presidents of the twentieth century. The book staunchly refutes any assertion that initial involvement with Thomas Pendergast ever corrupted Truman. The book provides a thorough insider’s understanding of Truman’s two terms as president.

Woodward, Bob. Shadow: Five Presidents and the Legacy of Watergate. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1999.

After having investigated and written about presidents for over 25 years, Woodward has compiled an analysis of the ways living under the shadow of Watergate has affected the administrations of the five post-Watergate presidents. Each president has faced moments of distrust; these watershed moments have had an impact on each president personally, as well as the office of the president generally.