Parallel Press Chapbooks
~ America's Founders
Parallel Press is pleased to announce a new series of chapbook biographies entitled “America’s Founders” written by University of Wisconsin–Madison historian John P. Kaminski, director of the Center for the Study of the American Constitution. Unlike traditional biographies, these chapbooks will emphasize the character, mannerisms, and physical appearance of the subjects as largely seen through the eyes of their contemporaries. Critical historical events are described in vivid detail in the elegant prose of America’s Revolutionary generation. Illuminating vignettes and “behind-the-curtain” glimpses of both well-known and obscure events will add new dimension to the historic dramas of revolution and nation-making. In a certain way, the Revolutionary generation itself will be writing its own biographies with both praise and admiration on the one hand and vituperation on the other.
Other chapbooks in the America's Founders series will include: Thomas Paine, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, Patrick Henry, and John and Samuel Adams.
Abigail Adams: An American Heroine
By John P. Kaminski
$10
The fifth chapbook in the America's Founders chapbook series is Abigail Adams: An American Heroine. Abigail Adams was an extraordinary person. In many respects she was the quintessential woman of the American Revolutionary era, but in virtually every facet of life she excelled her contemporaries. Through her unique partnership with her husband, John, Abigail Adams became one of the most influential women in all of American history. Through her voluminous correspondence, this fascinating personality reveals the hardships women confronted during the years of America’s founding. Abigail Adams was born in November 1744 and died almost seventy-four years later in October 1818.
To request a printed copy of Abigail Adams: An American Heroine, click "Ordering Information" on sidebar.
Lafayette: The Boy General
By John P. Kaminski
$10
The fourth chapbook in the series is Lafayette: The Boy General. Lafayette fell in love with the concept of a young and free America. He came to the United States at the age of 19 and was given the honorary rank of major general in the Continental Army. Through hard work, courage, and persistence he obtained a command and became one of Washington's most trusted generals. Lafayette led all the American forces in Virginia six months prior to the Battle of Yorktown-a battle he was important in winning.
Well-connected in France, Lafayette served as an invaluable American advocate in France, Spain, the Netherlands, and Germany both during and after the war. Through his efforts in these countries, alliances and commercial ties were forged and strengthened. He led the movement for political reform in France, but soon the radical forces in the French Revolution proved too much for Lafayette to handle. Forced to flee his country, he was captured and imprisoned for five years by the Germans and Austrians. He was released during a temporary truce in 1797. Lafayette's visit to the United States in 1825-1826 as the "Nation's guest" stirred patriotic feelings in America. He died in 1834.
To request a printed copy of Lafayette: The Boy General, click "Ordering Information" on sidebar.
James Madison: Champion of Liberty and Justice
By John P. Kaminski
$10
The third chapbook in the series is James Madison: Champion of Liberty and Justice. While throughout history Madison is sometimes accused of inconsistency, Kaminski explains in the preface of this chapbook that he was actually quite consistent in his main goal of defending liberty and justice. "Throughout his long years of service, James Madison worked to defend liberty and justice. Sometimes this required him to emphasize local or state power, sometimes federal power. But he always wanted power to serve the cause of freedom. Thus, in looking at Madison's defense of liberty and justice from wherever danger appeared, we see a remarkable consistency."
To request a printed copy of James Madison: Champion of Liberty and Justice, click "Ordering Information" on sidebar.
Thomas Jefferson: Philosopher and Politician
By John P. Kaminski
$10
The second chapbook in the series is Thomas Jefferson: Philosopher and Politician. As Kaminski writes in the preface, "America has been blessed with a few Renaissance men. Certainly Thomas Jefferson is among this group . . . " In this carefully researched look into the life of one of America's Founders, Kaminski points out that Jefferson's contemporaries "admired his remarkable ability to express [republican] principles with an eloquence that approached poetry."
To request a printed copy of Thomas Jefferson: Philosopher and Politician, click "Ordering Information" on sidebar.
George Washington: "The Man of the Age"
By John P. Kaminski
$10
The first chapbook in the series is George Washington: “The Man of the Age.” One reviewer of the chapbook described it as “an absolutely delightful reading experience. Just the right combination of ‘light touch’ and serious engagement with the issues. The judicious selection of quotations from friends and fellow revolutionaries really gave a superb picture of the man. So I can truly say that Washington came alive for me as he hasn’t really in any other book or account before. The amazing thing is that, despite the fact that the piece is so short, it probably gave me a better sense of the man than anything else before.”
To request a printed copy of George Washington: "The Man of the Age," click "Ordering Information" on sidebar.
