James Wilson: The Anxious Founder

by Michael H. Taylor

James Wilson’s life began as an Atlantic World success story, with mounting intellectual, political, and legal triumphs, but ended as a Greek tragedy. Each achievement brought greater anxiety about his place in the revolutionary world. James Wilson's life story is a testament to the success that tens of thousands of Scottish immigrants achieved after their trans-Atlantic voyage, but it also reminds us that not all had a happy ending. This book provides a more nuanced and complete picture of James Wilson’s contributions in American history. His contributions were far greater than just the attention paid to his legal lectures. His is a very human story of a Scottish immigrant who experienced success and acclaim for his activities on behalf of the American people during his public service, but in his personal affairs, and particularly financial life, he suffered the great heights and deep lows worthy of a Greek tragedy. James Wilson's life is an entry point into the events of the latter half of the 18th century and the impact of the Scottish Enlightenment on American society, discourse, and government.

286 pages, Paperback

Published March 15, 2023

About the author

I currently teach at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, NE. I also work with student teaches at Wayne State College, in Wayne, NE.

I earned my Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in December 2016. Prior to that I worked at the Center for the Constitution at James Madison's Montpelier in Virginia. I began my teaching career as a social studies teacher at Turner Ashby High School in Bridgewater, Virginia.

My research focuses on the period 1765-1820. I'm currently working on my second book on the Pennsylvania Ratification Convention of November to December 1787.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author, Michael H. Taylor, makes it clear from the beginning that this is not a "cradle to grave" biography. Since that was what I was looking for, I was probably going to be frustrated by this book. Even still, I think this book can only appeal to historians. It feels like a bunch of essays that were published in academic journals that were cobbled together to make a saleable package.

Taylor's prose is fine, and his history is rock solid - it's on a par with other historians, and much better than the mediocre biographies that non-historians tend to churn out. But his subject matter can be pretty damn obscure.

The opening essay on Wilson's re-interment during Teddy's Roosevelt's administration really tried my patience. He tries to justify it somewhat at the end by claiming that Wilson's theory of a strong executive was brought to the forefront because key people saw Wilson in a new light at the time. Maybe, but I'm of the mind that strongmen like to be strongmen because being a bully is jolly good fun. Strongmen will use whatever theory they need to justify their fascism. They'll just as soon use Batman as a founding father.

The other essays are extremely deep dives into different milestones of Wilson's life. These are interesting enough, but I was frustrated by the author's treatment of Wilson's financial troubles. The author seems to assume that the reader knows all about it, so there's no need to delve into the details. If you're a historian, maybe you already do know about it.

If Taylor ever decides to do a "cradle to grave" biography of Wilson, or any other founding father, I'll be among the first to buy it. But if he writes another book like this, I'll probably need to several dozen other books before I can fully appreciate his essays.