Reviews

"A splendid account. Few historians have succeeded so well in grasping the relationship between the constitutional structures of the United States and the ebb and flow of day-to-day politics."--Times Literary Supplement"Cunningham does an extraordinary job telling the inner story of Monroe's presidency. . . . He not only gives a new appreciation of Monroe's presidency; he also reminds us how history should be written."--Journal of American History"This book is a fine study of Monroe's presidency and does great justice to Monroe as president. But, as we have come to expect from Professor Cunningham, it is much more, for it strengthens not only our understanding of Monroe's presidency but also our understanding of the United States during Monroe's presidency."--Journal of the Early Republic"A most interesting, extremely well written, and clearly painted picture of a forefather who has been given very little credit for his weighty contributions to the executive office and to the ever-evolving history of our nation."--Perspectives on Political Science

"Noble Cunningham's command of the material, his rich insights, and the vigorous flow of the narrative combine to make this the best work on Monroe ever written. Monroe's stature as statesman will certainly benefit from Cunningham's interpretation."--Robert Allen Rutland, author of The Presidency of James Madison"This is a superb book by our most seasoned and judicious historian of the political life of the early Republic. It is well-informed, lucid, concise, and full of insights, surely the final word for our time on the last presidency of the Virginia dynasty."--Ralph Ketcham, author of Framed for Posterity: The Enduring Philosophy of the Constitution