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To Make Men Free: A History of the Republican Party

To Make Men Free: A History of the Republican Party

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  • Create Date：2022-01-04 09:51:46
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Heather Cox Richardson
  • ISBN：1541600622
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Summary

“The most comprehensive account of the GOP and its competing impulses” （Los Angeles Times）， now updated to cover the Trump presidency and its aftermath

When Abraham Lincoln helped create the Republican Party on the eve of the Civil War， his goal was economic opportunity for all Americans。 Yet the party quickly became mired in an identity crisis。 Would it be the party of democratic ideals？ Or the party of moneyed interests？

In To Make Men Free， acclaimed historian Heather Cox Richardson traces the shifting ideology of the Republican Party from the antebellum era to the Great Recession。 While progressive Republicans like Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower revived Lincoln’s vision and expanded the government， their opponents appealed to Americans’ latent racism and xenophobia to regain political power， linking taxation and regulation to redistribution and socialism。 In the modern era， the schism within the Republican Party has grown wider， pulling the GOP ever further from its founding principles。

Now with a new epilogue that reflects on the Trump era and what is likely to come after it， To Make Men Free is a sweeping history of the party that was once considered America’s greatest political hope， but now lies in disarray。

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Reviews

Kenneth ，

I'll admit， part of why I am rating this book so poorly is that I was successfully bait and switched。 I've been reading a lot of political histories and， since they're pretty much all written by academics and journalists they all pretty much loathe the Republican Party so I have to wade through quite a lot of rhetoric in order to get at the reality。 So， when I first saw a history of the Republican Party whose title was taken from the Battle Hymn of the Republic， I had hopes that at last there wo I'll admit， part of why I am rating this book so poorly is that I was successfully bait and switched。 I've been reading a lot of political histories and， since they're pretty much all written by academics and journalists they all pretty much loathe the Republican Party so I have to wade through quite a lot of rhetoric in order to get at the reality。 So， when I first saw a history of the Republican Party whose title was taken from the Battle Hymn of the Republic， I had hopes that at last there would be a balanced history of the GOP， an organization in whose current civil war I am actively engaged with virtually all my waking hours。 Alas， it was not to be。 It's balanced in the sense that when the Republican Party engages in expansion of the state she has praise， sometimes effusive， more often grudging。 So the book is not uniformly negative though， to find good things in the GOP， she has to assume that the expansion of the state under Lincoln to prosecute the Civil War and his advocacy for "internal improvements" constituted the welfare state in embryo。 For the rest of it， it's more or less the arguments of the #resistance extended back through time with a similar level of intellectual rigor。 To be fair， I have no one but myself to blame。 Once I saw that her twitter feed had nothing but praise for Biden as he stumbled from catastrophe to fiasco and back again this year， I should have known。 She chooses her spokespeople carefully， to ensure that only the shrillest voices speak for the Republican Party though once again they seem to be contemporary digital fundraising pitches projected backward and ascribed to the leaders of the party for the past 180 years。 Has the GOP only ever claimed that there can be no loyal opposition to it's policies？ Has it's criticism of it's opponents only ever been claims that they would "destroy America？" The section on the 1920s puts this phrase into the GOP interlocutors half a dozen times in ten paragraphs。 Naturally， racism has to be at the heart of everything。 She draws no distinction between capitalism and slavery， and so basically has the GOP taking on the persona of the Southern Democrats even before the collapse of reconstruction。 When she's not able to find evidence of actual overt racism the words "presumably" and "naturally" are pressed into service as to support proofs by assertion。 The idea that all skepticism of government spending is ultimately driven by white supremacy is exceedingly tiresome， but what can one do？ The book it not without it's lighter moments， intentionally or not she does more or less give an accurate description of her own scholarly methods when she excoriates Buckly's "God and Man at Yale" for decontextualizing， choosing anecdotes and quotes selectively， and engaging in aggressive obfuscation in the service of an ideological aim。 Her understanding of economics， aside from freshman level Marxian and Keynesian modes also gives the lie to the many accusations of Republicans not living in "Reality。" So， if you're a member of the #resistance who wants your priors validated and extended back 180 years， so you can continue to think as you always have， this is the book for you。 If you want an objective account of how the GOP got to where it is， and how it might recover its potential， look elsewhere。 。。。more

Gene ，

Extraordinarily well written and full of information I didn’t know， much of which I should have。 Chewy and occasionally disturbing， this is a book everyone should read。 Not exactly light， but well worth it。

Dave ，

Historian Heather Cox Richardson provides a fascinating look at the swings of the Republican party since its founding in the mid-1800s。 She proposes that these swings are based on two very different priorities。 The original founding of the party was based on political and economic equality for all citizens。 The other end of the pendulum swing is toward property rights over all else， generally benefitting the wealthy。 She states that the situation that prevailed at the party's founding was a gove Historian Heather Cox Richardson provides a fascinating look at the swings of the Republican party since its founding in the mid-1800s。 She proposes that these swings are based on two very different priorities。 The original founding of the party was based on political and economic equality for all citizens。 The other end of the pendulum swing is toward property rights over all else， generally benefitting the wealthy。 She states that the situation that prevailed at the party's founding was a government dominated by a wealthy elite - at that time， primarily southern slaveholders。 By the end of the 19th century， the party itself had become the party of a wealthy elite - this time northern bankers and industrialists。 These are the two extremes that the party swung to throughout its history。 Abraham Lincoln， Theodore Roosevelt and Dwight Eisenhower leaned toward the principles of equality promoted in the Declaration of Independence， Benjamin Harrison， Calvin Coolidge， Herbert Hoover， Ronald Reagan and others emphasized the sanctity of property rights found in the Constitution。It's a fascinating piece of historical analysis that I'm sure will have people praising the author and others condemning her （umm， I'm definitely in the former camp）。 But it is well worth reading to get an understanding of how we got where we are today - especially her analysis of Movement Conservatism from the 1950s to today。The book was published in 2014， during the second term of Barack Obama and before the election of Donald Trump in 2016， so it ends on a relatively optimistic note for equality of citizens。 But the pendulum is still swinging。 。。。more

Tim ，

Heather Cox Richardson gives a concise history of the Republican Party from Lincoln to Bush 2。 She doesn't pull punches when the Republicans do something right she gives them credit。 I would recommend this book to anyone as a primer on American politics as a gateway for deeper research into American history。 Heather Cox Richardson gives a concise history of the Republican Party from Lincoln to Bush 2。 She doesn't pull punches when the Republicans do something right she gives them credit。 I would recommend this book to anyone as a primer on American politics as a gateway for deeper research into American history。 。。。more

miteypen ，

How I wish the author would write an epilogue to this book that takes into account the direction the Republican Party took under Trump。 I wonder how she sees his Presidency as a continuation of this history of the GOP。I learned so much from this book that I never knew—or forgot I knew。 What struck me the most was how far the GOP has strayed from the ideals it was founded on。 I’ve always wondered how Lincoln could have been a Republican！The author is a political historian who comments almost dail How I wish the author would write an epilogue to this book that takes into account the direction the Republican Party took under Trump。 I wonder how she sees his Presidency as a continuation of this history of the GOP。I learned so much from this book that I never knew—or forgot I knew。 What struck me the most was how far the GOP has strayed from the ideals it was founded on。 I’ve always wondered how Lincoln could have been a Republican！The author is a political historian who comments almost daily on politics。 I think it’s interesting that she chose to cover a long period of American political history through the lens of Republicanism。 This is not a flattering account yet she seems to stick close to the facts; this is not a hatchet job but rather a reasoned analysis。 。。。more

Brenda Kochis ，

Heather Cox Richardson is one of my all time favorite historians。 The Republican party of 2021 is not what it was in the past。 This book covers its change through the 1800s and 1900s。

Melody ，

I have heard that there is another edition of this book that will soon come out on audible with an additional chapter to cover the last few years of American politics。 I'm interested to read/listen to that one as well。 Because this is covering such a large span of time， I feel like there were things that I would have liked more detail on， but I also felt it covered quite a bit of information。 Interesting。 I have heard that there is another edition of this book that will soon come out on audible with an additional chapter to cover the last few years of American politics。 I'm interested to read/listen to that one as well。 Because this is covering such a large span of time， I feel like there were things that I would have liked more detail on， but I also felt it covered quite a bit of information。 Interesting。 。。。more

Nancy Morgan ，

Heather is a master at connecting historic events to create a clear and coherent narrative that explains actions and behaviors。 The cycle of Republican activity becomes totally predictable once the historic stepping stones are meticulously laid out by Ms。 Richardson。

Erik ，

From the party that opposed slavery while the Democrats embraced it to the party of Trump， the Republicans have swayed back and forth across the political spectrum。 Richardson explains this in a fascinating read。 If you think the party has always been about people like Reagan， Trump， or W， think again。 Regardless of your political views， well worth the read！ It's always good to question assumptions。 From the party that opposed slavery while the Democrats embraced it to the party of Trump， the Republicans have swayed back and forth across the political spectrum。 Richardson explains this in a fascinating read。 If you think the party has always been about people like Reagan， Trump， or W， think again。 Regardless of your political views， well worth the read！ It's always good to question assumptions。 。。。more

Max Sullivan ，

Richardson covers 150 years in 340 pages but this book lacks any nuance or objectivity。 It is a well-researched opinion piece， not a well-done history book。

Bebe Casey ，

I discovered Heather Cox Richardson， as many others have， right after Donald Trump was inaugurated。 The first thing I do every day is read her daily email。 Her views of Washington， put in perspective with history， have taught me so much。 This book ends when Obama was elected。 It starts with the first Republican President elected， Abraham Lincoln。 I can't wait for her to write a sequel， though in a sense I guess I've read it already by reading her daily emails。 Anyway， I truly enjoyed this and it I discovered Heather Cox Richardson， as many others have， right after Donald Trump was inaugurated。 The first thing I do every day is read her daily email。 Her views of Washington， put in perspective with history， have taught me so much。 This book ends when Obama was elected。 It starts with the first Republican President elected， Abraham Lincoln。 I can't wait for her to write a sequel， though in a sense I guess I've read it already by reading her daily emails。 Anyway， I truly enjoyed this and it put so much into perspective for me as to why this country is in it's current status。 And why I need to continue to take my vote very seriously。 。。。more

Julie ，

This is an excellent read， and while I quibble with a few minor stylistic decisions， as well as some language choices that I think Richardson could've handled better with regard to racial sensitivity， the argument is sound and the history well-researched。 A really important read for those looking to understand how the Republican party has gone so entirely off the rails。 Turns out they've been barely clinging to the rails for a really long time。 This is an excellent read， and while I quibble with a few minor stylistic decisions， as well as some language choices that I think Richardson could've handled better with regard to racial sensitivity， the argument is sound and the history well-researched。 A really important read for those looking to understand how the Republican party has gone so entirely off the rails。 Turns out they've been barely clinging to the rails for a really long time。 。。。more

George Crowder ，

While this book is much less known than Ms。 Richardson's HOW THE SOUTH WON THE CIVIL WAR， I think it may be even more useful for appreciating the changing character and cynical political calculations of not only the party that has been known as the Republicans， but the Democrats as well。 Of course， today's Democratic party has little in common with the blatantly racist faction of 150 years past。 Nor， unfortunately， do the Republicans have much in common with the party of Lincoln， Teddy Roosevelt While this book is much less known than Ms。 Richardson's HOW THE SOUTH WON THE CIVIL WAR， I think it may be even more useful for appreciating the changing character and cynical political calculations of not only the party that has been known as the Republicans， but the Democrats as well。 Of course， today's Democratic party has little in common with the blatantly racist faction of 150 years past。 Nor， unfortunately， do the Republicans have much in common with the party of Lincoln， Teddy Roosevelt， and Eisenhower。 In the end， it's been a conflict over whether to live up to the aspirational goals of the Declaration of Independence， or to merely enforce the property rights of wealthy individuals。 Ms。 Richardson demonstrates what great Republicans have been capable of when led by men of character--as well as how low they can stoop under the leadership of less admirable types。 It would be worth updating this book to cover the last couple of Republican administrations， but it's probably not necessary--we get the picture。 。。。more

Erik Champenois ，

A 340-page overview history of the Republican Party from its founding in 1854 to approximately the 2008 election， with the earlier period covered in slightly more depth。 Heather Cox Richardson argues that the history of the Republican Party can be encapsulated as the negotiation of the tension between America's belief in equality of opportunity and protection of property。 As a result， the GOP has had its progressive periods， especially under Lincoln， Theodore Roosevelt， and Esenhower， presidents A 340-page overview history of the Republican Party from its founding in 1854 to approximately the 2008 election， with the earlier period covered in slightly more depth。 Heather Cox Richardson argues that the history of the Republican Party can be encapsulated as the negotiation of the tension between America's belief in equality of opportunity and protection of property。 As a result， the GOP has had its progressive periods， especially under Lincoln， Theodore Roosevelt， and Esenhower， presidents who implemented policies that resulted in greater equality and broad-based economic growth。 On the other hand， the GOP has also had its regressive periods， especially in the 1870s and 1920s and in the post-Nixon and Reagan GOP， periods that made use of paranoid anti-government and racist rhetoric to produce policies favoring the interests of the rich and big business， resulting in greater inequality and in economic distress （the Great Depression and the 2008 crash as the biggest examples）。 This kind of interpretative history has its strength and limitations - its strength being in the explanatory power of the thesis and showing the differences and similarities of broader trends across different periods of time。 The limitation being when the story simplifies more complex events， or leaves out more in depth analysis of deeper political and economic complexities。 It is also a focused， one-sided history。 Focused in its analysis of political and economic ideological trends and policies rather than being a holistic history of the GOP （foreign policy， for example， is only covered occasionally， usually as it intersects with the main argument of the book）。 And one-sided in that the story does not detail the concurrent ideological and policy changes within the Democrat Party， except as the history of the Democrats intersect with the GOP。 Part of me wanted a book with twice the length and twice the detail， including more coverage of changes within the Democratic Party。 Finally， the interpretative history is based on a particular view， though admittedly one that I broadly share and agree with， and also one that I think she argues well for。 3。5 stars for providing a helpful birds-eye view of the history of the GOP， which taught me a number of things along the way and gave a more contextualized view of our current Trumpist GOP era。 The book is at once critical and celebratory as it surveys the accomplishments of moderate and progressive Republicans alongside the ideological excesses and policies of more conservative Republicans。 Eisenhower especially stood out to me as the last great moderate Republican President and someone I'd like to read up on in the future。 。。。more

Julian Abagond ，

A good， solid background on one of the two major political parties in the US。 It is pre-Trump， though。 It fills in all those holes left by public schooling and the media。 I wished she went more into the Southern Strategy。

Karliniowa ，

In this 2014 book， Heather Cox Richardson deftly traces the beginnings of the Republican Party endorsing an activist federal government to grow economic opportunity and expand a new ‘middle class’ of immigrant Americans to spread across the newly opening continent。 She describes the inherent conflict of a nation divided between a wage labor economy in which economic mobility was possible and a slave labor economy that entrenched a wealthy oligarchy striving for aristocracy， and how this conflict In this 2014 book， Heather Cox Richardson deftly traces the beginnings of the Republican Party endorsing an activist federal government to grow economic opportunity and expand a new ‘middle class’ of immigrant Americans to spread across the newly opening continent。 She describes the inherent conflict of a nation divided between a wage labor economy in which economic mobility was possible and a slave labor economy that entrenched a wealthy oligarchy striving for aristocracy， and how this conflict escalated， seemingly inevitably， into a civil war。 Richardson’s focus is on the political evolution of our political system。 The Civil War is only the context for big legislative actions that changed America ever after。 Lincoln’s assassination and Johnson’s accidental presidency brought an ineffective， punitive Reconstruction。 Stories about the rise of Negros in the South fed xenophobic responses in the rest of the country （and worse from the Southern power structure only temporarily set aside for their Confederate rebellion）。 The nation was further alarmed against “socialism” by uprisings in the Spring of 1871 when in the wake of the Franco-Prussian War， workers revolted in Paris and set up ‘the Paris Commune’ who threatened to kill the city’s priests and appropriate all wealth to ‘the people。’ In NYC， Karl Marx had started The International Workingmen’s Association。 America’s obsession with anti-socialism was tied from the beginning with nativism and racism。HCR goes on to describe the rise of Movement Conservatism and brings things up to date through the first Obama-Biden term。 She deftly describes in her Conclusion chapter， how the Republican Party descended through Movement Conservatism into an empty vessel， all image and no substance regarding what she identifies as “the unresolved tension between equality and property in America。” （See esp。 page 341 re。 the conflict between the promise of equality in the Declaration and the protection of property embedded in the Constitution。 To HCR’s view， Eisenhower was the last true Republican， and the current batch are the descendants of pre-civil war advocate of slavery， James Henry Hammond。I should re-read this book at least annually。 。。。more

Jarred Goodall ，

A colleague of mine made me aware of Dr。 Richardson's work， and she now jumps to the top of my most-respected author list。 After reading this work， I cannot wait to read more of her books。 She brings together a fascinating story， and ties it all together under a single bow。 Her argument about the true evolution of the "Party Lincoln" provides tangible evidence， and reaches a sad， but true， conclusion。 A colleague of mine made me aware of Dr。 Richardson's work， and she now jumps to the top of my most-respected author list。 After reading this work， I cannot wait to read more of her books。 She brings together a fascinating story， and ties it all together under a single bow。 Her argument about the true evolution of the "Party Lincoln" provides tangible evidence， and reaches a sad， but true， conclusion。 。。。more

Gary ，

Who knew that the Republicans were originally the party of the common man and democracy and the Democrats were the oligarchs？This is a very readable account of party politics since the 1850's。 While pre-Trump， there are enough appalling characters around to make for exciting reading: Andrew Johnson， JP Morgan， William F Buckley， George W Bush and many more。 Who knew that the Republicans were originally the party of the common man and democracy and the Democrats were the oligarchs？This is a very readable account of party politics since the 1850's。 While pre-Trump， there are enough appalling characters around to make for exciting reading: Andrew Johnson， JP Morgan， William F Buckley， George W Bush and many more。 。。。more

J。 Kenneth Lowrie ，

Interesting History。 This is an interesting history of the evolution of politics in the United States and is well worth reading。 The author shows her biases too plainly however。 She has a plain dislike for the right wing of the Republican Party and her narrative lets that leach through。

Janet Burda ，

Excellent history by Heather Cox Richardson that helped me to understand the background of our political parties and those influences on today's political climate。 Excellent history by Heather Cox Richardson that helped me to understand the background of our political parties and those influences on today's political climate。 。。。more

Martin Lassman ，

Outstanding book！ Full of facts about times I lived through - and prior - that I did not fully understand at the time。 It is a historical perspective of the country from Lincoln until 2004 showing how the Republican Party has shifted back and forth between protecting oligarchs or protecting the populace。 A fascinating and illuminating read！

Anne ，

A fascinating review of the US Republican Party。 Now I have a clearer understanding of Movement Conservatism and how it has affected the US citizenry。

Eric ，

5 stars for the important information and thesis。 One star penalty for the writing， which often reads like a collaborative textbook too often repeating sentences and phrases to emphasize her points。

David Cowhig ，

Nice overview by US historian of how the Democratic Party and the Republican Party switched places in the late 19th century and how more recently how shift of the Southern Democrats to Southern Republicans has affected US politics。

Carol Turner ，

Professor Richardson's concise and readable history is appropriate right how， as the GOP once again tries to return us to the 1920s。 Professor Richardson's concise and readable history is appropriate right how， as the GOP once again tries to return us to the 1920s。 。。。more

Cynthia ，

The best review for anything Heather Cox Richardson writes is to just suggest that you subscribe to her daily 'Letters from an American'， or follow heron Facebook， particularly on Tuesdays （at 4pm Eastern）and Thursdays （at 1pm Eastern）。 You can review any of her prior recordings and she has a YouTube channel as well。 She is a professor of History in Boston but she is speaking （and writing fro her own POV） She is able to put all of today's mat important news in a historical context and you will A The best review for anything Heather Cox Richardson writes is to just suggest that you subscribe to her daily 'Letters from an American'， or follow heron Facebook， particularly on Tuesdays （at 4pm Eastern）and Thursdays （at 1pm Eastern）。 You can review any of her prior recordings and she has a YouTube channel as well。 She is a professor of History in Boston but she is speaking （and writing fro her own POV） She is able to put all of today's mat important news in a historical context and you will ABSOLUTELY read her forever after toured her once！ 。。。more

Ed Buckner ，

I'm a fan of popular history by historians who really know their stuff and can write clearly and engagingly for amateur historian readers。 This--To Make Men Free--is a fine example of that。 Richardson garners facts and presents them so deftly that at first you don't realize how much detail and how great a sweep of history she has given you。 I heartily recommend this for anyone interested in how the Republican Party arose， how and why it seems to have largely swapped places with the Democratic Pa I'm a fan of popular history by historians who really know their stuff and can write clearly and engagingly for amateur historian readers。 This--To Make Men Free--is a fine example of that。 Richardson garners facts and presents them so deftly that at first you don't realize how much detail and how great a sweep of history she has given you。 I heartily recommend this for anyone interested in how the Republican Party arose， how and why it seems to have largely swapped places with the Democratic Party。 I'm now reading a library copy of her latest--How the South Won。。。 It， too， is quite good， and I plan to buy a copy soon。 。。。more

Tony ，

A very informative and helpful reed for me as I have so limited historical knowledge of politics。 While I appreciated the optimism espoused by the author in her conclusion regarding the potential future of the Republican Party man take a look at it now！！

Laura Sparks ，

This book made so much of my experience growing up with a Republican church mindset make so much sense。 Excellent history of the Party。 A must-read for anyone who wants to better understand where we are and where we are going。

David ，

This is a history that should be widely read。 It answers the question of how did the party of Lincoln become a vehicle for the modern equivalent of slave power。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=To Make Men Free: A History of the Republican Party

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=To Make Men Free: A History of the Republican Party&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,To Make Men Free: A History of the Republican Party&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0