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The American Story: Building the Republic
America's Constitutional Republic is like no other.Most Americans recognize the names George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison, but few can tell you their stories—much less that of James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, or Andrew Jackson. These seven men from the Founding Ear were America's first presidents. They established our republic on the foundation of the Constitution and its liberties.But who were they? Were they good or bad leaders? How did they become presidents? Did they follow the Constitution or abandon its principles?Their lives reflect the opportunities America offers. Farmers, attorneys, military veterans, and philosophers, they each rose to the highest ranks of political leadership. From very different backgrounds, all loved their nation. Each had shortcomings (some far more than others) as well as stellar shining moments. Some preserved our strong foundations and some abandoned core constitutional principles.The stories of each of these presidents are fascinating, instructive, and compelling. And why not? After all, these are the men who built the republic.
464 pages, Paperback
Published February 15, 2024
74 people are currently reading
123 people want to read
About the author
David Barton
293 books268 followersDavid Barton is the Founder and President of WallBuilders, a national pro-family organization that presents America's forgotten history and heroes, with an emphasis on our moral, religious and constitutional heritage.
WallBuilders is a name taken from the Old Testament writings of Nehemiah, who led a grassroots movement to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and restore its strength and honor. In the same way, WallBuilders seeks to energize the grassroots today to become involved in strengthening their communities, states, and nation.
David is the author of numerous best-selling books, with the subjects being drawn largely from his massive library of tens of thousands of original writings from the Founding Era. He also addresses well over 400 groups each year.
His exhaustive research has rendered him an expert in historical and constitutional issues and he serves as a consultant to state and federal legislators, has participated in several cases at the Supreme Court, was involved in the development of the History/Social Studies standards for states such as Texas and California, and has helped produce history textbooks now used in schools across the nation.
WallBuilders is a name taken from the Old Testament writings of Nehemiah, who led a grassroots movement to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem and restore its strength and honor. In the same way, WallBuilders seeks to energize the grassroots today to become involved in strengthening their communities, states, and nation.
David is the author of numerous best-selling books, with the subjects being drawn largely from his massive library of tens of thousands of original writings from the Founding Era. He also addresses well over 400 groups each year.
His exhaustive research has rendered him an expert in historical and constitutional issues and he serves as a consultant to state and federal legislators, has participated in several cases at the Supreme Court, was involved in the development of the History/Social Studies standards for states such as Texas and California, and has helped produce history textbooks now used in schools across the nation.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 12, 2024
THE CONTINUATION OF THE BARTONS’ SURVEY OF AMERICAN HISTORY
Authors David and Tim Barton wrote in the Introduction to this 2024 book, “‘The American Story: The Beginnings’ … documented the story of America’s foundation… That foundation was secured by the … U.S. Constitution. This volume… looks at what was built on that foundation, highlighting the first seven presidents… Each of these… directly participated in the American War for Independence… But WHO were these seven? WHAT did they do?... And how well did they build upon the foundation of the Constitution?... we will answer these questions …” (Pg. 20)
They note that Alexis de Tocqueville “recognized that America is the exception and not the norm when compared to other nations… numerous significant categories still confirm this reality today. Consider … government stability. America has had only one constitution since it went into effect in 1789.. over that same period of time, France has had 15… Americans also enjoy extraordinary degrees of liberty… America is unsurpassed in creativity… America produces almost 25% of the world’s entire gross domestic product… the resources we do have, when joined to our unique combination of freedom, capitalism (the free market), technology, and hard work, have helped America thrive… America truly IS exceptional… Yet despite these great blessings, many are currently attempting to fundamentally change America and remake us in the image of the much less successful and less prosperous socialist nations of Europe.” (Pg. 14-16)
On the issue of slavery, they point out, “of the 12.5 million Africans involuntarily sold into slavery, only 3% disembarked in the American colonies… 43% went to Central and South America, 38% to the Caribbean… In America, African-Americans were elected to office as early as 1641… America’s New England colonies became the first major region in the world to abolish slavery, with all northern states having passed abolition laws by 1804… America was the first nation in the world to sign a law banning the slave trade (March 2, 1807)… The United States is the only nation in the world where whites, on behalf of enslaved blacks, went to war against other whites in order to end slavery, resulting in the loss of well over half-a-million white lives… This is not to say that America is not tarnished with the evil of slavery. Rather, it is to add context … that even though America had participated in the same evil as the rest of the world, she began first, made the greatest sacrifices…” (Pg. 16-17)
They report that in his last will and testament, "George Washington freed less than half the slaves at Mount Vernon. So two questions are worth asking… 1. Why didn’t Washington free his slaves BEFORE his death? 2. Why were only SOME of the slaves at Mount Vernon freed? The answer to both questions is: Virginia law… a 1782 law … allowed slaves to be freed by their owners---but only at the death of the owner… through a last will and testament… [the law also] required that a freed slave must depart the state within 12 months or else reenter slavery… This made it almost impossible for an emancipated slave to remain near his or her spouse, children, or family members who were not freed.” (Pg. 50-51)
They also (using Washington’s Farewell Address as the pretext) critique “modern tribes [who] are willing to overthrow the larger national structure and remake it in their image, whether LGBTQIA+, transgender, pro-abortion, progressivism, socialism, secular liberalism, mainstream media, atheism, or others. Each seeks to silence those who dissent with or oppose them.” (Pg. 67)
Using British taxes that American revolutionaries took exception to as a comparison, they observe, “No average person can fully comply with all the details in the [U.S. Tax] code… Even most professional accountants and CPAs do not fully grasp all its requirements… When the IRS informs an individual that he or she is to undergo an audit… some violation can be found in virtually every inspection.” (Pg. 92-93)
Of Abigail Adams, they fail to include her famous ‘remember the ladies’ letter to her husband John Adams, but do point out that “Abigail … was also pious. Without question, the single most profound influence in shaping and guiding her life was her strong Christian faith. Her knowledge of the Scriptures was extensive and often formed a central part of her letters.” (Pg. 103)
After discussing the election of 1800 (Jefferson defeated Adams), they argue, “One of the main problems with intense partisanship is that winning often becomes more important than the principles at stake… the side that does not prevail will… seek to obstruct, detail, or destroy the winning party… in order to set themselves up to sweep the next election.” (Pg. 117) In this election, “Federalists falsely accused Jefferson of being anti-Christian… When … he won the election, some New Englanders … believed the false electioneering claims, [and] went so far as to bury their Bibles so he could not find and destroy them. Sadly, even today, many still believe the falsehoods about Jefferson’s lack of religion and morality.” (Pg. 118-119)
Of Jefferson’s famous letter to the Danbury Baptists about the ‘wall of separation between Church and State,’ they argue, “The … metaphor Jefferson used assured the Baptists that the government would PROTECT and not limit religious beliefs and expressions… [It] preserved and shielded public religious activities, not restricted or removed them.” (Pg. 144) They admit, however, that “there is one area in which [Jefferson] differed from his predecessors: he refused to issue any presidential prayer proclamations… it was because of his … belief that the states, not the federal government, should call their own citizens to prayer.” (Pg. 147)
Returning to the matter of slavery, they state, “at the 1787 Constitutional Convention… Most northern colonies opposed slavery, but many southern ones supported it… With no clear national consensus, the Convention enacted a 20-year federal moratorium: individual states should be free to limit slavery and the slave trade, but the federal Congress could not ban the nationwide importation of slaves before the year 1808… the Founders deliberately kept the word ‘slave’ or ‘slavery’ from appearing in the Constitution… they did not want to taint that document with such deplorable words.” (Article 1, Section 9)
Why didn’t Jefferson free his own slaves? “as it was with George Washington… Virginia law… While Washington was able to free his slaves at his death… in 1806 Virginia changed that law… But this did not stop ( from doing all he could to end slavery in his own state…” (Pg. 164)
Turning again to a ‘contemporary’ matter, they assert, “if a Christian who loves our country promotes religion and morality … that is now denounced as ‘Christian Nationalism.' Or Dominionism. Such criticisms are … attempts to browbeat God-fearing citizens into ambivalence toward America, thus curtailing their involvement in determining the direction of the nation.” (Pg. 223)
They are (perhaps) initially surprisingly favorable toward Thomas Paine: “Paine’s early pamphlets made powerful arguments in favor of American independence… After the War ended, Paine… returned to his homeland, England, where he wrote ‘The Rights of Man,’ openly attacking monarchies…” (Pg. 237-238) But later, they add, “Paine … launched a … vile three-part attack [‘The Age of Reason’] against Christianity, Judaism, and the Bible.” (Pg. 241)
Returning to the slavery issue again, they contend, “it must be remembered that slavery was openly accepted and practiced in virtually every known nation in the world… and few voices had been raised against it. Our Founders neither created nor introduced slavery. To the contrary, they became the pioneer leaders of an anti-slavery movement that eventually spready across the world… The Founders believed that bringing an end to the slave trade in America would eventually result in the end of slavery.” (Pg 257-258)
They acknowledge, “Less is known of [James] Monroe’s religious faith than possibly any other present in American history… there are virtually no writings… that indicate that he had any personal religious faith… [This] perhaps explains why Monroe was the most supportive of slavery… In fact, he oversaw the federal expansion of slavery.” (Pg. 268-269)
They comment, “in Adams’ day, the Bible was so important that if someone did not know it, it was considered shameful. Our current condition is quite a reversal… current studies show that only four percent of Americans currently hold a Biblical worldview.” (Pg. 284)
They state, “Under [Andrew] Jackson’s new system of politics, the government was no longer a public trust that belonged to the people. Rather, it was a partisan tool that enabled the winner to reward those who supported and helped him.” (Pg. 346)
They argue, “one of today’s popular… claims among many academics is that it was the US government that broke EVERY treaty made with Native Americans and is solely to blame for all injustices Natives have experienced… such claims… are easily disprovable… Did any Indian tribes break treaties the way the U.S. government did?... There were certainly times when Anglos broke treaties and wrongly took land, and the same occurred with Native Americans. It happened on both sides---it happens with humans.” (Pg. 358-359)
They assert, “we are admonished to ‘tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.’ In history, this means presenting… the entire, complete story. Sadly, many modern approaches to teaching history fail to do this… they pick and choose whatever helps their agenda, even if it means ignoring or erasing significant facts… This has certainly been the case with… Progressives, proponents of Critical Race Theory, the 1619 Project, many college academics, and others with an anti-American mindset…” (Pg. 385)
They conclude, “America is currently in the midst of a very challenging time, and our future remains uncertain. Will we go the direction of… other superpowers … that gradually rejected Biblical truth and morality and destroyed themselves from within?... America needs more citizens who will read, study, and know our true history and thus fully appreciate the innumerable blessings God has bestowed on America… Being patriotic does not mean one agrees with … the political leaders presently in office… because we love our country, we should always oppose destructive behavior and leaders.” (Pg. 391)
This book would be much more effective if it stuck to presenting the ‘facts’ of history, and offered less commentary on current events with which it disagrees.
Authors David and Tim Barton wrote in the Introduction to this 2024 book, “‘The American Story: The Beginnings’ … documented the story of America’s foundation… That foundation was secured by the … U.S. Constitution. This volume… looks at what was built on that foundation, highlighting the first seven presidents… Each of these… directly participated in the American War for Independence… But WHO were these seven? WHAT did they do?... And how well did they build upon the foundation of the Constitution?... we will answer these questions …” (Pg. 20)
They note that Alexis de Tocqueville “recognized that America is the exception and not the norm when compared to other nations… numerous significant categories still confirm this reality today. Consider … government stability. America has had only one constitution since it went into effect in 1789.. over that same period of time, France has had 15… Americans also enjoy extraordinary degrees of liberty… America is unsurpassed in creativity… America produces almost 25% of the world’s entire gross domestic product… the resources we do have, when joined to our unique combination of freedom, capitalism (the free market), technology, and hard work, have helped America thrive… America truly IS exceptional… Yet despite these great blessings, many are currently attempting to fundamentally change America and remake us in the image of the much less successful and less prosperous socialist nations of Europe.” (Pg. 14-16)
On the issue of slavery, they point out, “of the 12.5 million Africans involuntarily sold into slavery, only 3% disembarked in the American colonies… 43% went to Central and South America, 38% to the Caribbean… In America, African-Americans were elected to office as early as 1641… America’s New England colonies became the first major region in the world to abolish slavery, with all northern states having passed abolition laws by 1804… America was the first nation in the world to sign a law banning the slave trade (March 2, 1807)… The United States is the only nation in the world where whites, on behalf of enslaved blacks, went to war against other whites in order to end slavery, resulting in the loss of well over half-a-million white lives… This is not to say that America is not tarnished with the evil of slavery. Rather, it is to add context … that even though America had participated in the same evil as the rest of the world, she began first, made the greatest sacrifices…” (Pg. 16-17)
They report that in his last will and testament, "George Washington freed less than half the slaves at Mount Vernon. So two questions are worth asking… 1. Why didn’t Washington free his slaves BEFORE his death? 2. Why were only SOME of the slaves at Mount Vernon freed? The answer to both questions is: Virginia law… a 1782 law … allowed slaves to be freed by their owners---but only at the death of the owner… through a last will and testament… [the law also] required that a freed slave must depart the state within 12 months or else reenter slavery… This made it almost impossible for an emancipated slave to remain near his or her spouse, children, or family members who were not freed.” (Pg. 50-51)
They also (using Washington’s Farewell Address as the pretext) critique “modern tribes [who] are willing to overthrow the larger national structure and remake it in their image, whether LGBTQIA+, transgender, pro-abortion, progressivism, socialism, secular liberalism, mainstream media, atheism, or others. Each seeks to silence those who dissent with or oppose them.” (Pg. 67)
Using British taxes that American revolutionaries took exception to as a comparison, they observe, “No average person can fully comply with all the details in the [U.S. Tax] code… Even most professional accountants and CPAs do not fully grasp all its requirements… When the IRS informs an individual that he or she is to undergo an audit… some violation can be found in virtually every inspection.” (Pg. 92-93)
Of Abigail Adams, they fail to include her famous ‘remember the ladies’ letter to her husband John Adams, but do point out that “Abigail … was also pious. Without question, the single most profound influence in shaping and guiding her life was her strong Christian faith. Her knowledge of the Scriptures was extensive and often formed a central part of her letters.” (Pg. 103)
After discussing the election of 1800 (Jefferson defeated Adams), they argue, “One of the main problems with intense partisanship is that winning often becomes more important than the principles at stake… the side that does not prevail will… seek to obstruct, detail, or destroy the winning party… in order to set themselves up to sweep the next election.” (Pg. 117) In this election, “Federalists falsely accused Jefferson of being anti-Christian… When … he won the election, some New Englanders … believed the false electioneering claims, [and] went so far as to bury their Bibles so he could not find and destroy them. Sadly, even today, many still believe the falsehoods about Jefferson’s lack of religion and morality.” (Pg. 118-119)
Of Jefferson’s famous letter to the Danbury Baptists about the ‘wall of separation between Church and State,’ they argue, “The … metaphor Jefferson used assured the Baptists that the government would PROTECT and not limit religious beliefs and expressions… [It] preserved and shielded public religious activities, not restricted or removed them.” (Pg. 144) They admit, however, that “there is one area in which [Jefferson] differed from his predecessors: he refused to issue any presidential prayer proclamations… it was because of his … belief that the states, not the federal government, should call their own citizens to prayer.” (Pg. 147)
Returning to the matter of slavery, they state, “at the 1787 Constitutional Convention… Most northern colonies opposed slavery, but many southern ones supported it… With no clear national consensus, the Convention enacted a 20-year federal moratorium: individual states should be free to limit slavery and the slave trade, but the federal Congress could not ban the nationwide importation of slaves before the year 1808… the Founders deliberately kept the word ‘slave’ or ‘slavery’ from appearing in the Constitution… they did not want to taint that document with such deplorable words.” (Article 1, Section 9)
Why didn’t Jefferson free his own slaves? “as it was with George Washington… Virginia law… While Washington was able to free his slaves at his death… in 1806 Virginia changed that law… But this did not stop ( from doing all he could to end slavery in his own state…” (Pg. 164)
Turning again to a ‘contemporary’ matter, they assert, “if a Christian who loves our country promotes religion and morality … that is now denounced as ‘Christian Nationalism.' Or Dominionism. Such criticisms are … attempts to browbeat God-fearing citizens into ambivalence toward America, thus curtailing their involvement in determining the direction of the nation.” (Pg. 223)
They are (perhaps) initially surprisingly favorable toward Thomas Paine: “Paine’s early pamphlets made powerful arguments in favor of American independence… After the War ended, Paine… returned to his homeland, England, where he wrote ‘The Rights of Man,’ openly attacking monarchies…” (Pg. 237-238) But later, they add, “Paine … launched a … vile three-part attack [‘The Age of Reason’] against Christianity, Judaism, and the Bible.” (Pg. 241)
Returning to the slavery issue again, they contend, “it must be remembered that slavery was openly accepted and practiced in virtually every known nation in the world… and few voices had been raised against it. Our Founders neither created nor introduced slavery. To the contrary, they became the pioneer leaders of an anti-slavery movement that eventually spready across the world… The Founders believed that bringing an end to the slave trade in America would eventually result in the end of slavery.” (Pg 257-258)
They acknowledge, “Less is known of [James] Monroe’s religious faith than possibly any other present in American history… there are virtually no writings… that indicate that he had any personal religious faith… [This] perhaps explains why Monroe was the most supportive of slavery… In fact, he oversaw the federal expansion of slavery.” (Pg. 268-269)
They comment, “in Adams’ day, the Bible was so important that if someone did not know it, it was considered shameful. Our current condition is quite a reversal… current studies show that only four percent of Americans currently hold a Biblical worldview.” (Pg. 284)
They state, “Under [Andrew] Jackson’s new system of politics, the government was no longer a public trust that belonged to the people. Rather, it was a partisan tool that enabled the winner to reward those who supported and helped him.” (Pg. 346)
They argue, “one of today’s popular… claims among many academics is that it was the US government that broke EVERY treaty made with Native Americans and is solely to blame for all injustices Natives have experienced… such claims… are easily disprovable… Did any Indian tribes break treaties the way the U.S. government did?... There were certainly times when Anglos broke treaties and wrongly took land, and the same occurred with Native Americans. It happened on both sides---it happens with humans.” (Pg. 358-359)
They assert, “we are admonished to ‘tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.’ In history, this means presenting… the entire, complete story. Sadly, many modern approaches to teaching history fail to do this… they pick and choose whatever helps their agenda, even if it means ignoring or erasing significant facts… This has certainly been the case with… Progressives, proponents of Critical Race Theory, the 1619 Project, many college academics, and others with an anti-American mindset…” (Pg. 385)
They conclude, “America is currently in the midst of a very challenging time, and our future remains uncertain. Will we go the direction of… other superpowers … that gradually rejected Biblical truth and morality and destroyed themselves from within?... America needs more citizens who will read, study, and know our true history and thus fully appreciate the innumerable blessings God has bestowed on America… Being patriotic does not mean one agrees with … the political leaders presently in office… because we love our country, we should always oppose destructive behavior and leaders.” (Pg. 391)
This book would be much more effective if it stuck to presenting the ‘facts’ of history, and offered less commentary on current events with which it disagrees.
July 1, 2024
This is the well documented history that so many have not been taught. If you want to understand how ridiculous this notion of systemic racism is, this book is a great way to see how ignorant we are. History has been hidden because of Woodrow Wilson. This book starts to uncover so many lost parts of our national heritage. Short chapters, easy to read, so many sources!
November 16, 2025
Another great book highlighting the first 7 Presidents of the United States. This book examines their early lives, their political careers, and their post-office lives. There is a lot of information that you will learn that you wouldn't from the revisionist textbooks currently being taught.
December 7, 2025
Parents, you MUST read this book as a family and discuss it.
Your children will never hear these documented truths about our great nation in our public schools or universities.
The United States of America IS a blessed land. If you don't feel that way, God and his Spirit WIII convince you.
Your children will never hear these documented truths about our great nation in our public schools or universities.
The United States of America IS a blessed land. If you don't feel that way, God and his Spirit WIII convince you.
April 4, 2025
Excellent. Sheds great light on the Christian beginnings of the United States. David Barton writes in a compelling style that makes it very easy to read. A worthy sequel to "The Beginnings."
May 8, 2025
The second volume of the American Story.
An excellent and important read.
An excellent and important read.
January 15, 2026
A fantastic book! Everyone should read it.
January 8, 2026
I enjoyed the second volume of The American Story! The Bartons do a fantastic job of writing a thorough telling of the history of America. The footnotes and sources are extensive showing how accurate and well-researched this book is. It is well written for the average, common person. Highly recommend!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews