E Pluribus Unum: The Formation of the American Republic, 1776-1790

by Forrest McDonald

Having won independence from England, America faced a new Would this be politically one nation, or would it not? E Pluribus Unum is a spirited look at how that question came to be answered.Forrest McDonald is Professor Emeritus of American History at the University of Alabama and author of States’ Rights and the Union .

Genres: History, American History, American Revolution, Politics, Nonfiction, Law, 18th Century

326 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Dr. McDonald was a Distinguished Research Professor of History at the University of Alabama, where he was the Sixteenth Jefferson Lecturer in the Humanities in 1987. He was awarded the Ingersoll Prize in 1990. Professor McDonald is the author of several books including Novus Ordo Seclorum (University Press of Kansas, 1985), and The American Presidency: Roots, Establishment, Evolution (University Press of Kansas, 1994).

Reviews

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A NOTED HISTORIAN'S INTERPRETATION OF THE ORIGIN OF OUR NATION

Forrest McDonald (born 1927) is an American historian, who has also written books such as 'We the People: The Economic Origins of the Constitution,' and 'Novus Ordo Seclorum: The Intellectual Origins of the Constitution.' This book was originally published in 1965, and revised in 1992.

He wrote in the Preface to the first edition, "And so, in the period under inquiry in this book, there was also only one meaningful question: Would this be politically one nation, or would it not?" He later suggests, "In this resistance some opportunists saw opportunity, and their doings led to civil war. In the civil war other opportunists saw larger opportunity, and their doings led to the creation of the American nation." (Pg. 226)

About the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention, he wrote, "The list of distinguished Americans certain not to come was large. Only one of the great diplomats of the Revolution, Franklin, would be there. John Jay of New York and Henry Laurens of South Carolina had not been chosen, and Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were in Europe as ambassadors. Most of the great republicans would likewise be missing... Neither Sam Adams and John Hancock of Massachusetts nor Richard Henry Lee and Patrick Henry of Virginia chose to some (Henry did not because, he said, 'I smelt a rat')." (Pg. 259-260)

He observes that although the delegates spoke as if the issue were "what kind of national government would be created... The real issue, throughout, was whether there would be a national government---and therefore a nation---at all." (Pg. 276) He reports that "almost by accident, was created the magnificent system of checks and balances of the United States Constitution... (and) resulted in a form of government more peculiarly adapted to the nature of the animal than anything devised before or since." (Pg. 304)

This fascinating and thought-provoking book is an "essential read" for anyone interested in the early history of our nation.

[Dan Gorman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book feels outdated now. Books written since 1965 (see Edward Countryman, Charles Royster, and David Waldstreicher’s work, to name a few authors) have covered the Revolutionary period with greater clarity and with attention to cultural as well as social factors. McDonald’s writing style tends toward the opaque. When he starts using “nationalist” and “republican” to describe political factions, the terms feel imprecise and misleading. For instance, Alexander Hamilton, one of McDonald’s nationalists, also cared very much about limiting popular democracy — which would make him seem republican. Not my favorite book on this period. Dry and, at times, impenetrable. Sorry, Prof. McDonald. :/

[Dave Benner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some incredible discoveries here, including the revelation that the Federalists threatened to have New York City secede from New York state to ratify the Constitution as an independent entity if the state as a whole did not.

[Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The French, the Russians, the Italians, the Germans, all the planet's peoples in their turn, would become so unrestrained as to lose contact with sanity. The Americans might have suffered a similar history, had they followed the lead of those who, in 1787 and 1788, spoke in the name of the people and of popular 'rights'. But there were giants in the earth in those days, and they spoke in the name of the nation, and the people followed them. As a result, the Americans were, despite themselves, doomed forever to be free."

Although, our current crop of political opportunists seem bent on reversing this.

This book is on the formation of the American Republic, immediately following the Declaration of Independence. The author describes the regional distinctives of the Eastern, Middle and Southern states in three seperate chapters and takes the reader through the Philadelphia Convention to the signing of the COnstitution. His writing style is simple and very engaging, and he includes lots of obscure deatils on each region of the new nation. I almost read the book in one sitting.

[Nathaniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting perspective on the formative years of this country - eye opening in many ways. Sometimes a little dry because that's what history books can be, but the author has a good sense of humor, and that keeps it more interesting than it otherwise might be.

[Wisteria Leigh]

American history,confederation 1783-1789,American Revolution 1775-1783

[Craig Bolton]

E PLURIBUS UNUM by FORREST MCDONALD (1979)

[Adam Carman · Rating 5 out of 5]

His turn of a phrase alone should make this required reading.