Henry Adams: History of the United States Vol. 2 1809-1817 (Loa #32): The Administrations of James Madison

Madison's administration included the War of 1812, a comedy of errors in basis, execution, and ending, which Adams takes great delight in telling well. In all, the Americans acquitted themselves as well as might be expected for a weak, broke, pacific-minded nation. And by the end of Madison's tenure, 1817, as Adam's recaps the state of America much like he did to start the 2,500 pages of his history, the United States are to a remarkable degree more tightly united than the fragile Union had ever been since the days of Washington. Adams writes with the strong and vivid vocabulary of the 19th century (even as he writes at the turn of the 20th). My personal favorites are gasconading, animadverting, and imbecility, which Adams even points out as his frequent modifier used to describe actions of the House of Representatives. Truly classic in form and execution. See my review of the companion volumes History of the United States of America During the Administrations of Thomas Jefferson (Library of America) You may want to start with Garry Wills' recent rediscovery of Adams' history, reviewed here: Henry Adams and the Making of America

Although dated, these volumes remain a must. They are dated (1889-1991) but they provide a glimpse about the past history of the US. Following this time, with the end of the Spanish-American war documents came to light providing sometimes different views of historical moments such as the role of Gen. James Wilkinson with the Spaniards.

It is hard to write a concise review of a volume of 1500 pages, and I did read the whole volume. When I subscribed to Library of America this was a volume that really interested me. I can say that it exceeded my expectations as a marvelous narrative history of an overshadowed era of American history. This volume has filled in my knowledge of this period and at the same time provided hours of entertainment. The book covers two primary topics. The first is the diplomatic history that led up to the War of 1812 and the second is the story of that war. James Madison is a background character who does not dominate the action as Jefferson did in Adam's previous volume. The scholarship is excellent as each event is covered in great detail. Adam's writing has a unique style that compares well to Edward Gibbon. The diplomatic history is covered in great detail with excerpts from letters and conversations telling the story of the arrogance of Napoleon and the British that culminated in the war. Napoleon is portrayed as a power seeker who lied to the Americans and stole their property with no compunctions. The British are even more villianous. They are portrayed as very thorough and practiced in their diplomatic dealings, treating America as a child with less status than when they were colonies. The studied contempt poured on the Americans made me angry. The war movement was led by Congress over the opposition of Madison. Britain became the object of war based upon the nearness of Canada and their continual impressment including the attack on an American warship before the war. The attacks of the Indians on the frontier stirred up by the British also fueled the aggressiveness of the Congressional War Hawks. The war of 1812 brings out Adams chauvanism. He continually praises the American soldiery despite their lack of any real success and saves his highest compliments for the American navy. I am not a military historian but given the fact that Washington was sacked and burned it would not appear that the American military was very effective. I did enjoy the portrayal of the Battle of New Orleans and have read it several times. The British got their ass kicked by their own admission and even though the war was over this victory made the nation proud. The naval exploits are supported by quotes from the British and it does appear that one on one the Americans were superior. The book closes with some interesting social history and concludes with Adams analysis of the effect of the war. He states that the war established the unity of the nation and assured the success of the American experiment. The ascendacy of New England that had given rise to the first secession movement was ended. The end of the fear of the European powers allowed America to concentrate on building their own nation. The people of America had gained the necessary confidence to strike their own way building a unique nation. 1500 pages is a lot of work.

Unlike the first volume where Jefferson dominated every page, Madison is virtually invisible in the first 400 pages. During his administration, his principles and acts were either thwarted by a bungling 13th Congress, or superseded by an energetic 14th Congress. As well (according to Adams) this was the last age in which ambassadors and envoys carried so much weight in the administration. Afterwards the Congress became the premier power in the United States, with ambassadors playing important but less conspicuous roles, and the President becoming less of a political force. In the first 400 pages, Adams painstakingly describes the diplomatic engagements that embroiled us into a war with England and France, and then brilliantly describes the naval and land battles that occurred during the War of 1812. After Washington was burned (for which Madison was jeered and vilified when passing from village to village), the United States broke into an economic vitality not known before (which tended to make the public forget the burning of Washington). Massachusetts, which had threatened secession with Connecticut and Rhode Island, was humbled by the new Republican Treasurer, whose autocratic policies helped to reduce one state's superiority over another. An interesting and energetic portrayal of life in early America, and the sudden maturation process of our diplomatic and economic infancy.

This book is a dignified piece of historical writing. Although it is long, it manages to be significant throughout. The personality profiles are interesting, the battle descriptions are gripping, and the political analysis is acute. Before reading this volume (and its companion), I did not realize how pivotal the events of this era were in shaping the rest of 19th century US. Recommended to those with time to ponder, especially if they are fond of Adams' writing style.