Podcasts about first american the life

On this episode, Cody and Steve continue their discussion on the so-called First American, Benjamin Franklin, and try to parse legend and myth from the cold, hard truth.Podcast to recommend: Disastrous History (Disastrous History)Sources· Brands, H. W. The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin. New York City, NY: Doubleday, 2000.· Gupton, Nancy. “Benjamin Franklin and the Kite Experiment.” The Franklin Institute. 12 Jun 2017. . Retrieved 19 Nov 2024.· Isaacson, Walter. Benjamin Franklin: An American Life. New York City, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2003.· Rubin Stuart, Nancy. Poor Richard's Women: Deborah Read Franklin and the Other Women Behind the Founding Father. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 2022.· Smith, John L., Jr. “Benjamin Franklin's Battery of Lovers.” Journal of the American Revolution. 2 Jun 2016. . Retrieved 19 Nov 2024.· Waldstreicher, David. Runaway America: Benjamin Franklin, Slavery, and the American Revolution. New York City, NY: Hill & Wang, 2004.· Wood, Gordon. The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin. New York City, NY: Penguin, 2005.· See pinned post on Bluesky for general sources Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode, Cody and Steve finally tackle one of the giants of the American Revolution, Poor Richard himself, Benjamin Franklin.Sources· Brands, H. W. The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin. New York City, NY: Doubleday, 2000.· Gupton, Nancy. “Benjamin Franklin and the Kite Experiment.” The Franklin Institute. 12 Jun 2017. . Retrieved 19 Nov 2024.· Isaacson, Walter. Benjamin Franklin: An American Life. New York City, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2003.· Rubin Stuart, Nancy. Poor Richard's Women: Deborah Read Franklin and the Other Women Behind the Founding Father. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 2022.· Smith, John L., Jr. “Benjamin Franklin's Battery of Lovers.” Journal of the American Revolution. 2 Jun 2016. . Retrieved 19 Nov 2024.· Waldstreicher, David. Runaway America: Benjamin Franklin, Slavery, and the American Revolution. New York City, NY: Hill & Wang, 2004.· Wood, Gordon. The Americanization of Benjamin Franklin. New York City, NY: Penguin, 2005.· See pinned post on Bluesky for general sources Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chapter 1 What's The Age of Gold Book by H.W. Brands"The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream" is a book by H.W. Brands that examines the history of the California Gold Rush in the mid-19th century. Brands explores the impact of the gold rush on American society and culture, as well as the experiences of the miners who flocked to California in search of wealth. The book also looks at how the gold rush shaped the development of California and the United States as a whole.Chapter 2 Is The Age of Gold Book A Good BookYes, The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream by H.W. Brands is generally considered to be a well-researched and engaging book that provides a detailed account of the California Gold Rush and its impact on American society. It offers a comprehensive exploration of the social, economic, and political dynamics of the time, making it a valuable resource for anyone interested in this period of American history.Chapter 3 The Age of Gold Book by H.W. Brands Summary"The Age of Gold" is a book written by H.W. Brands that chronicles the California Gold Rush of the mid-19th century. The book details the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848 and the ensuing rush of prospectors and settlers to California in search of fortune.Brands explores the impact of the Gold Rush on the indigenous populations of California, the economy of the region, and the social and political changes that occurred as a result of the influx of people to the area. The book also delves into the experiences of individual prospectors and settlers, painting a vivid picture of the challenges they faced and the often brutal conditions they endured in their quest for gold.Overall, "The Age of Gold" provides a comprehensive and engaging look at one of the most significant events in American history, shedding light on the complexities and consequences of the California Gold Rush. Chapter 4 The Age of Gold Book AuthorH.W. Brands is a historian and author known for his works on American history. He released "The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream" in 2002. Apart from "The Age of Gold," Brands has written many other books, including "The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin," "Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt," and "The General vs. the President: MacArthur and Truman at the Brink of Nuclear War," among others.One of the most well-known and critically acclaimed books by H.W. Brands is "The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin." This book has been praised for its in-depth research, engaging narrative, and insightful analysis of the life and achievements of one of America's founding fathers. It is also considered one of the best editions of Brands' works by many readers and critics.Chapter 5 The Age of Gold Book Meaning & ThemeThe Age of Gold Book Meaning"The Age of Gold" by H.W. Brands is a historical book that chronicles the California Gold Rush of the mid-19th century. The book explores the social, economic, and political impact of the Gold Rush on the United States and the individuals who participated in it. It also delves into the struggles and conflicts that arose as a result of the sudden influx of people seeking their fortune in the California goldfields.Overall, "The Age of Gold" offers a comprehensive look at one of the most significant events in American history and sheds light on the complexities of the Gold Rush and...

Benjamin Franklin is well known as a Founding Father and an innovative inventor, scientist, and diplomat. But did you know he had a major and often unsung role at the Constitutional Convention? Historians H.W. Brands, author of The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin, and Ed Larson, author of Franklin & Washington: The Founding Partnership, join host Jeffrey Rosen on this week's episode. They illuminate Franklin's involvement in drafting and debating the Constitution during the summer of 1787 in Philadelphia—as host of the Constitutional Convention and one of the Convention's most-respected delegates—as well as his vision for America's future. Additional resources and transcript available at constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/media-library Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

Benjamin Franklin is well known as a Founding Father and an innovative inventor, scientist, and diplomat. But did you know he had a major and often unsung role at the Constitutional Convention? Historians H.W. Brands, author of The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin, and Ed Larson, author of Franklin & Washington: The Founding Partnership, join host Jeffrey Rosen on this week's episode. They illuminate Franklin's involvement in drafting and debating the Constitution during the summer of 1787 in Philadelphia—as host of the Constitutional Convention and one of the Convention's most-respected delegates—as well as his vision for America's future. Additional resources and transcript available at constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/media-library Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

Benjamin Franklin, perhaps the pivotal figure in colonial and revolutionary America, comes vividly to life in this masterly biography. Wit, diplomat, scientist, philosopher, businessman, inventor, and bon vivant, Benjamin Franklin was in every respect America’s first Renaissance man. From penniless runaway to highly successful printer, from ardently loyal subject of Britain to architect of an alliance with France that ensured America’s independence, Franklin went from obscurity to become one of the world’s most admired figures, whose circle included the likes of Voltaire, Hume, Burke, and Kant. Drawing on previously unpublished letters and a host of other sources, acclaimed historian H. W. Brands has written a thoroughly engaging biography of the eighteenth-century genius. A much needed reminder of Franklin’s greatness and humanity, The First American is a work of meticulous scholarship that provides a magnificent tour of a legendary historical figure, a vital era in American life, and the countless arenas in which the protean Franklin left his legacy. Description courtesy of Amazon

  Have you ever punched someone? Not a tap on the shoulder, but a fist-clenched, teeth-gritted haymaker-to-the-jaw kinda punch. Are you thinking “how is throwing a punch living my ideal life?” Throwing (or receiving) that punch may not be ideal, but sharing the story of how it all went down might be! On this fun and informative episode, Dustin stands on the shoulders of Benjamin Franklin as he details his own experience of starting a Junto club, the benefits of deep conversation, and how you can start your own Junto club! Here’s What You’ll Learn [3:15] Before tech took over our lives, we had more meaning conversations [5:00] The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin [6:00] What is a junto club? [8:30] Establish rituals and rules [15:00] What kinds of questions should you ask at junto club? [20:45] How to effectively answer questions [23:00] Lose the script [25:00] Worth It Inspirations What is a Junto Club? Benjamin Franklin recognized the value of conversation and the importance of cognitive diversity in convening innovative conversations when he founded the Junto Club almost 300 years ago. The club, initially composed of twelve members who met on Friday evenings, first in a tavern and later in a house, to discuss issues of morals, politics or natural philosophy to improve themselves and their community. The club led to innovations such as volunteer fire-fighting organizations, improved security through night watchmen, a public hospital and the first public library. Rituals and Rules Dustin says it’s important to establish a set of rules and rituals that guide how your Junto club operates. For example, everyone in his junto club must wear a sports jacket while attending. This helps establish the formal nature of the meeting and ensures that all present remember to speak and act like gentlemen. He also requires the members to post their questions one week in advance, to give others time to prepare. Decide how frequently the group will meet, how long each meeting will last, and where it will be held. Choose a quiet, comfortable, inviting location. Set the tone for a relaxing atmosphere. Consider serving food, and have fun! What kind of questions should you discuss at the Junto? Benjamin Franklin put together a provocative set of questions to stimulate the conversations during the club’s meetings, and you should do the same. In Dustin’s junto, each member must submit a question in advance. These can be on any subject, from politics to world travel to throwing haymakers, and so on. Dustin says asking yourself “will others benefit from this question?” is a great place to start. What sort of question would you ask in a junto club? Incorporate your wisdom without being afraid You are in a junto club, listening to some great questions. Now, how do you respond in a meaningful way? Dustin says to incorporate your wisdom without being afraid. Share discoveries, be open, go deep. Try to avoid canned answers, or just repeating what everyone else says. Frame your answer from a unique angle, but keep them brief. He also says it’s perfectly acceptable to throw your script out the window and just go with it. Resources & People Mentioned The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin theworthitpodcast.com/45 Legends of the Fall Movie Connect With Danielle and Dustin Ask your questions! On Facebook On Twitter Connect with Dustin on Twitter: @DRGranger  

Nancy Pearl talks to Steve Scher and the folks around the table about their favorite books.    We had such a good time asking this question a few weeks back, we thought we'd ask folks again to bring in a favorite book they'd saved on the bookshelf at home. We thought asking for a favorite would be a much easier choice then asking a reader to pick the favorite book, but it turns out still to be a tough choice.Nancy’s favorite book of all time is the novel A Gay and Melancholy Sound, by Merle Miller.  It’s a long book about young man recounting his life through a series of reel-to-reel tape recordings. It is a great for book clubs and was the first of her Book Lust Rediscovery Imprints available on Amazon.Amazing that she can even answer that question, considering the thousands of books she reads. She loves the voice of the narrator, a young man who grew up with very difficult parents and had to come to terms with childhood in order to live a good life. She says, though, that it is the writing that always blows her away, and still does, after many re-reads. Favorites From Other Folks Around The Table The Five Languages of Appreciation In The Workplace, Gary D. ChapmanAnthill, E.O. WilsonInvisible Man, Ralph EllisonLove Medicine, Louise Erdrich, also, A Plague of Doves, The Roundhouse- Nancy finds them strong books that illuminate a group of people and a place. And she finds her writing just stunning.The Tiger’s Wife, Tea ObretThe First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin, H.W. Brands.  Nancy calls Brands one of our best contemporary historians. 

"I believe in democracy and I believe democracy works best if there's an awareness of what's come before," said H. W. Brands in an interview.* "Otherwise we try to reinvent the wheel." His belief in the promise of democracy is why Dr. Brand's books appear as often in the aisles of Barnes & Noble as the stacks of colleges and universities. It also accounts for his continuing desire to travel around the country, lecturing to capacity audiences, and to teach survey courses to packed auditoriums of undergraduate students. "I want to make my classrooms as big as possible," said Brands. "The more people I can fit, the better." Dr. Brands, the Dickson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History and professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin, has won numerous teaching awards for courses on U.S. history and international relations. Holding Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees in history from Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively, as well as Master's degrees in liberal studies and mathematics from Reed College and Portland State University, Brands began his career teaching high school and community college students. He later taught at Vanderbilt University and, for 23 years, Texas A & M University before returning to Austin in 2005. Dr. Brands has written twenty books and coauthored or edited five others. His books include: Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times (Doubleday, 2005) Woodrow Wilson (Times Books/Henry Holt, 2003) The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream (Doubleday, 2002) The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin (Doubleday, 2000) What America Owes the World: The Struggle for the Soul of Foreign Policy (Cambridge UP, 1998) TR: The Last Romantic (Basic Books, 1997) His writings have received critical and popular acclaim. The First American was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Prize, as well as a New York Times bestseller. The Age of Gold was a Washington Post Best Book of 2002 and a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. Andrew Jackson was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of 2005 and a Washington Post bestseller. What America Owes the World was a finalist for the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes and the Lionel Gelber Prize in international affairs. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, Atlantic Monthly, Smithsonian, National Interest, American Historical Review, Journal of American History, Political Science Quarterly, American History, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and many other newspapers, magazines and journals. Dr. Brands is an elected member of various honorary societies, including the Society of American Historians and the Philosophical Society of Texas. He is associate editor for Presidential Studies Quarterly and serves on the editorial board for Rhetoric and Public Affairs. He is a regular guest on national radio and television programs, and is frequently interviewed by the American and foreign press. His writings have been published in several countries and translated into German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Dr. Brands was born in Portland, Oregon, where he lived until he went to California for college. After graduating he became a traveling salesman, with a territory that spanned the West from the Pacific to Colorado. His wanderlust diminished after several trips across the Great Basin, and he turned to sales of a different sort, namely teaching. He lives in Austin with his wife and their youngest child.

"I believe in democracy and I believe democracy works best if there's an awareness of what's come before," said H. W. Brands in an interview.* "Otherwise we try to reinvent the wheel." His belief in the promise of democracy is why Dr. Brand's books appear as often in the aisles of Barnes & Noble as the stacks of colleges and universities. It also accounts for his continuing desire to travel around the country, lecturing to capacity audiences, and to teach survey courses to packed auditoriums of undergraduate students. "I want to make my classrooms as big as possible," said Brands. "The more people I can fit, the better." Dr. Brands, the Dickson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History and professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin, has won numerous teaching awards for courses on U.S. history and international relations. Holding Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees in history from Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively, as well as Master's degrees in liberal studies and mathematics from Reed College and Portland State University, Brands began his career teaching high school and community college students. He later taught at Vanderbilt University and, for 23 years, Texas A & M University before returning to Austin in 2005. Dr. Brands has written twenty books and coauthored or edited five others. His books include: Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times (Doubleday, 2005) Woodrow Wilson (Times Books/Henry Holt, 2003) The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream (Doubleday, 2002) The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin (Doubleday, 2000) What America Owes the World: The Struggle for the Soul of Foreign Policy (Cambridge UP, 1998) TR: The Last Romantic (Basic Books, 1997) His writings have received critical and popular acclaim. The First American was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Prize, as well as a New York Times bestseller. The Age of Gold was a Washington Post Best Book of 2002 and a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. Andrew Jackson was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of 2005 and a Washington Post bestseller. What America Owes the World was a finalist for the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes and the Lionel Gelber Prize in international affairs. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, Atlantic Monthly, Smithsonian, National Interest, American Historical Review, Journal of American History, Political Science Quarterly, American History, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and many other newspapers, magazines and journals. Dr. Brands is an elected member of various honorary societies, including the Society of American Historians and the Philosophical Society of Texas. He is associate editor for Presidential Studies Quarterly and serves on the editorial board for Rhetoric and Public Affairs. He is a regular guest on national radio and television programs, and is frequently interviewed by the American and foreign press. His writings have been published in several countries and translated into German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Dr. Brands was born in Portland, Oregon, where he lived until he went to California for college. After graduating he became a traveling salesman, with a territory that spanned the West from the Pacific to Colorado. His wanderlust diminished after several trips across the Great Basin, and he turned to sales of a different sort, namely teaching. He lives in Austin with his wife and their youngest child.

"I believe in democracy and I believe democracy works best if there's an awareness of what's come before," said H. W. Brands in an interview.* "Otherwise we try to reinvent the wheel." His belief in the promise of democracy is why Dr. Brand's books appear as often in the aisles of Barnes & Noble as the stacks of colleges and universities. It also accounts for his continuing desire to travel around the country, lecturing to capacity audiences, and to teach survey courses to packed auditoriums of undergraduate students. "I want to make my classrooms as big as possible," said Brands. "The more people I can fit, the better." Dr. Brands, the Dickson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History and professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin, has won numerous teaching awards for courses on U.S. history and international relations. Holding Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees in history from Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively, as well as Master's degrees in liberal studies and mathematics from Reed College and Portland State University, Brands began his career teaching high school and community college students. He later taught at Vanderbilt University and, for 23 years, Texas A & M University before returning to Austin in 2005. Dr. Brands has written twenty books and coauthored or edited five others. His books include: Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times (Doubleday, 2005) Woodrow Wilson (Times Books/Henry Holt, 2003) The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream (Doubleday, 2002) The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin (Doubleday, 2000) What America Owes the World: The Struggle for the Soul of Foreign Policy (Cambridge UP, 1998) TR: The Last Romantic (Basic Books, 1997) His writings have received critical and popular acclaim. The First American was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Prize, as well as a New York Times bestseller. The Age of Gold was a Washington Post Best Book of 2002 and a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. Andrew Jackson was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of 2005 and a Washington Post bestseller. What America Owes the World was a finalist for the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes and the Lionel Gelber Prize in international affairs. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, Atlantic Monthly, Smithsonian, National Interest, American Historical Review, Journal of American History, Political Science Quarterly, American History, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and many other newspapers, magazines and journals. Dr. Brands is an elected member of various honorary societies, including the Society of American Historians and the Philosophical Society of Texas. He is associate editor for Presidential Studies Quarterly and serves on the editorial board for Rhetoric and Public Affairs. He is a regular guest on national radio and television programs, and is frequently interviewed by the American and foreign press. His writings have been published in several countries and translated into German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Dr. Brands was born in Portland, Oregon, where he lived until he went to California for college. After graduating he became a traveling salesman, with a territory that spanned the West from the Pacific to Colorado. His wanderlust diminished after several trips across the Great Basin, and he turned to sales of a different sort, namely teaching. He lives in Austin with his wife and their youngest child.

"I believe in democracy and I believe democracy works best if there's an awareness of what's come before," said H. W. Brands in an interview.* "Otherwise we try to reinvent the wheel." His belief in the promise of democracy is why Dr. Brand's books appear as often in the aisles of Barnes & Noble as the stacks of colleges and universities. It also accounts for his continuing desire to travel around the country, lecturing to capacity audiences, and to teach survey courses to packed auditoriums of undergraduate students. "I want to make my classrooms as big as possible," said Brands. "The more people I can fit, the better." Dr. Brands, the Dickson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History and professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin, has won numerous teaching awards for courses on U.S. history and international relations. Holding Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees in history from Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively, as well as Master's degrees in liberal studies and mathematics from Reed College and Portland State University, Brands began his career teaching high school and community college students. He later taught at Vanderbilt University and, for 23 years, Texas A & M University before returning to Austin in 2005. Dr. Brands has written twenty books and coauthored or edited five others. His books include: Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times (Doubleday, 2005) Woodrow Wilson (Times Books/Henry Holt, 2003) The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream (Doubleday, 2002) The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin (Doubleday, 2000) What America Owes the World: The Struggle for the Soul of Foreign Policy (Cambridge UP, 1998) TR: The Last Romantic (Basic Books, 1997) His writings have received critical and popular acclaim. The First American was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Prize, as well as a New York Times bestseller. The Age of Gold was a Washington Post Best Book of 2002 and a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. Andrew Jackson was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of 2005 and a Washington Post bestseller. What America Owes the World was a finalist for the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes and the Lionel Gelber Prize in international affairs. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, Atlantic Monthly, Smithsonian, National Interest, American Historical Review, Journal of American History, Political Science Quarterly, American History, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and many other newspapers, magazines and journals. Dr. Brands is an elected member of various honorary societies, including the Society of American Historians and the Philosophical Society of Texas. He is associate editor for Presidential Studies Quarterly and serves on the editorial board for Rhetoric and Public Affairs. He is a regular guest on national radio and television programs, and is frequently interviewed by the American and foreign press. His writings have been published in several countries and translated into German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Dr. Brands was born in Portland, Oregon, where he lived until he went to California for college. After graduating he became a traveling salesman, with a territory that spanned the West from the Pacific to Colorado. His wanderlust diminished after several trips across the Great Basin, and he turned to sales of a different sort, namely teaching. He lives in Austin with his wife and their youngest child.

"I believe in democracy and I believe democracy works best if there's an awareness of what's come before," said H. W. Brands in an interview.* "Otherwise we try to reinvent the wheel." His belief in the promise of democracy is why Dr. Brand's books appear as often in the aisles of Barnes & Noble as the stacks of colleges and universities. It also accounts for his continuing desire to travel around the country, lecturing to capacity audiences, and to teach survey courses to packed auditoriums of undergraduate students. "I want to make my classrooms as big as possible," said Brands. "The more people I can fit, the better." Dr. Brands, the Dickson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History and professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin, has won numerous teaching awards for courses on U.S. history and international relations. Holding Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees in history from Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively, as well as Master's degrees in liberal studies and mathematics from Reed College and Portland State University, Brands began his career teaching high school and community college students. He later taught at Vanderbilt University and, for 23 years, Texas A & M University before returning to Austin in 2005. Dr. Brands has written twenty books and coauthored or edited five others. His books include: Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times (Doubleday, 2005) Woodrow Wilson (Times Books/Henry Holt, 2003) The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream (Doubleday, 2002) The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin (Doubleday, 2000) What America Owes the World: The Struggle for the Soul of Foreign Policy (Cambridge UP, 1998) TR: The Last Romantic (Basic Books, 1997) His writings have received critical and popular acclaim. The First American was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Prize, as well as a New York Times bestseller. The Age of Gold was a Washington Post Best Book of 2002 and a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. Andrew Jackson was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of 2005 and a Washington Post bestseller. What America Owes the World was a finalist for the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes and the Lionel Gelber Prize in international affairs. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, Atlantic Monthly, Smithsonian, National Interest, American Historical Review, Journal of American History, Political Science Quarterly, American History, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and many other newspapers, magazines and journals. Dr. Brands is an elected member of various honorary societies, including the Society of American Historians and the Philosophical Society of Texas. He is associate editor for Presidential Studies Quarterly and serves on the editorial board for Rhetoric and Public Affairs. He is a regular guest on national radio and television programs, and is frequently interviewed by the American and foreign press. His writings have been published in several countries and translated into German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Dr. Brands was born in Portland, Oregon, where he lived until he went to California for college. After graduating he became a traveling salesman, with a territory that spanned the West from the Pacific to Colorado. His wanderlust diminished after several trips across the Great Basin, and he turned to sales of a different sort, namely teaching. He lives in Austin with his wife and their youngest child.

"I believe in democracy and I believe democracy works best if there's an awareness of what's come before," said H. W. Brands in an interview.* "Otherwise we try to reinvent the wheel." His belief in the promise of democracy is why Dr. Brand's books appear as often in the aisles of Barnes & Noble as the stacks of colleges and universities. It also accounts for his continuing desire to travel around the country, lecturing to capacity audiences, and to teach survey courses to packed auditoriums of undergraduate students. "I want to make my classrooms as big as possible," said Brands. "The more people I can fit, the better." Dr. Brands, the Dickson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History and professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin, has won numerous teaching awards for courses on U.S. history and international relations. Holding Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees in history from Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively, as well as Master's degrees in liberal studies and mathematics from Reed College and Portland State University, Brands began his career teaching high school and community college students. He later taught at Vanderbilt University and, for 23 years, Texas A & M University before returning to Austin in 2005. Dr. Brands has written twenty books and coauthored or edited five others. His books include: Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times (Doubleday, 2005) Woodrow Wilson (Times Books/Henry Holt, 2003) The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream (Doubleday, 2002) The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin (Doubleday, 2000) What America Owes the World: The Struggle for the Soul of Foreign Policy (Cambridge UP, 1998) TR: The Last Romantic (Basic Books, 1997) His writings have received critical and popular acclaim. The First American was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Prize, as well as a New York Times bestseller. The Age of Gold was a Washington Post Best Book of 2002 and a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. Andrew Jackson was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of 2005 and a Washington Post bestseller. What America Owes the World was a finalist for the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes and the Lionel Gelber Prize in international affairs. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, Atlantic Monthly, Smithsonian, National Interest, American Historical Review, Journal of American History, Political Science Quarterly, American History, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and many other newspapers, magazines and journals. Dr. Brands is an elected member of various honorary societies, including the Society of American Historians and the Philosophical Society of Texas. He is associate editor for Presidential Studies Quarterly and serves on the editorial board for Rhetoric and Public Affairs. He is a regular guest on national radio and television programs, and is frequently interviewed by the American and foreign press. His writings have been published in several countries and translated into German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Dr. Brands was born in Portland, Oregon, where he lived until he went to California for college. After graduating he became a traveling salesman, with a territory that spanned the West from the Pacific to Colorado. His wanderlust diminished after several trips across the Great Basin, and he turned to sales of a different sort, namely teaching. He lives in Austin with his wife and their youngest child.

"I believe in democracy and I believe democracy works best if there's an awareness of what's come before," said H. W. Brands in an interview.* "Otherwise we try to reinvent the wheel." His belief in the promise of democracy is why Dr. Brand's books appear as often in the aisles of Barnes & Noble as the stacks of colleges and universities. It also accounts for his continuing desire to travel around the country, lecturing to capacity audiences, and to teach survey courses to packed auditoriums of undergraduate students. "I want to make my classrooms as big as possible," said Brands. "The more people I can fit, the better." Dr. Brands, the Dickson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History and professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin, has won numerous teaching awards for courses on U.S. history and international relations. Holding Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees in history from Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively, as well as Master's degrees in liberal studies and mathematics from Reed College and Portland State University, Brands began his career teaching high school and community college students. He later taught at Vanderbilt University and, for 23 years, Texas A & M University before returning to Austin in 2005. Dr. Brands has written twenty books and coauthored or edited five others. His books include: Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times (Doubleday, 2005) Woodrow Wilson (Times Books/Henry Holt, 2003) The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream (Doubleday, 2002) The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin (Doubleday, 2000) What America Owes the World: The Struggle for the Soul of Foreign Policy (Cambridge UP, 1998) TR: The Last Romantic (Basic Books, 1997) His writings have received critical and popular acclaim. The First American was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Prize, as well as a New York Times bestseller. The Age of Gold was a Washington Post Best Book of 2002 and a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. Andrew Jackson was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of 2005 and a Washington Post bestseller. What America Owes the World was a finalist for the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes and the Lionel Gelber Prize in international affairs. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, Atlantic Monthly, Smithsonian, National Interest, American Historical Review, Journal of American History, Political Science Quarterly, American History, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and many other newspapers, magazines and journals. Dr. Brands is an elected member of various honorary societies, including the Society of American Historians and the Philosophical Society of Texas. He is associate editor for Presidential Studies Quarterly and serves on the editorial board for Rhetoric and Public Affairs. He is a regular guest on national radio and television programs, and is frequently interviewed by the American and foreign press. His writings have been published in several countries and translated into German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Dr. Brands was born in Portland, Oregon, where he lived until he went to California for college. After graduating he became a traveling salesman, with a territory that spanned the West from the Pacific to Colorado. His wanderlust diminished after several trips across the Great Basin, and he turned to sales of a different sort, namely teaching. He lives in Austin with his wife and their youngest child.

"I believe in democracy and I believe democracy works best if there's an awareness of what's come before," said H. W. Brands in an interview.* "Otherwise we try to reinvent the wheel." His belief in the promise of democracy is why Dr. Brand's books appear as often in the aisles of Barnes & Noble as the stacks of colleges and universities. It also accounts for his continuing desire to travel around the country, lecturing to capacity audiences, and to teach survey courses to packed auditoriums of undergraduate students. "I want to make my classrooms as big as possible," said Brands. "The more people I can fit, the better." Dr. Brands, the Dickson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History and professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin, has won numerous teaching awards for courses on U.S. history and international relations. Holding Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees in history from Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively, as well as Master's degrees in liberal studies and mathematics from Reed College and Portland State University, Brands began his career teaching high school and community college students. He later taught at Vanderbilt University and, for 23 years, Texas A & M University before returning to Austin in 2005. Dr. Brands has written twenty books and coauthored or edited five others. His books include: Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times (Doubleday, 2005) Woodrow Wilson (Times Books/Henry Holt, 2003) The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream (Doubleday, 2002) The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin (Doubleday, 2000) What America Owes the World: The Struggle for the Soul of Foreign Policy (Cambridge UP, 1998) TR: The Last Romantic (Basic Books, 1997) His writings have received critical and popular acclaim. The First American was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Prize, as well as a New York Times bestseller. The Age of Gold was a Washington Post Best Book of 2002 and a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. Andrew Jackson was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of 2005 and a Washington Post bestseller. What America Owes the World was a finalist for the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes and the Lionel Gelber Prize in international affairs. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, Atlantic Monthly, Smithsonian, National Interest, American Historical Review, Journal of American History, Political Science Quarterly, American History, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and many other newspapers, magazines and journals. Dr. Brands is an elected member of various honorary societies, including the Society of American Historians and the Philosophical Society of Texas. He is associate editor for Presidential Studies Quarterly and serves on the editorial board for Rhetoric and Public Affairs. He is a regular guest on national radio and television programs, and is frequently interviewed by the American and foreign press. His writings have been published in several countries and translated into German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Dr. Brands was born in Portland, Oregon, where he lived until he went to California for college. After graduating he became a traveling salesman, with a territory that spanned the West from the Pacific to Colorado. His wanderlust diminished after several trips across the Great Basin, and he turned to sales of a different sort, namely teaching. He lives in Austin with his wife and their youngest child.

"I believe in democracy and I believe democracy works best if there's an awareness of what's come before," said H. W. Brands in an interview.* "Otherwise we try to reinvent the wheel." His belief in the promise of democracy is why Dr. Brand's books appear as often in the aisles of Barnes & Noble as the stacks of colleges and universities. It also accounts for his continuing desire to travel around the country, lecturing to capacity audiences, and to teach survey courses to packed auditoriums of undergraduate students. "I want to make my classrooms as big as possible," said Brands. "The more people I can fit, the better." Dr. Brands, the Dickson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History and professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin, has won numerous teaching awards for courses on U.S. history and international relations. Holding Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees in history from Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively, as well as Master's degrees in liberal studies and mathematics from Reed College and Portland State University, Brands began his career teaching high school and community college students. He later taught at Vanderbilt University and, for 23 years, Texas A & M University before returning to Austin in 2005. Dr. Brands has written twenty books and coauthored or edited five others. His books include: Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times (Doubleday, 2005) Woodrow Wilson (Times Books/Henry Holt, 2003) The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream (Doubleday, 2002) The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin (Doubleday, 2000) What America Owes the World: The Struggle for the Soul of Foreign Policy (Cambridge UP, 1998) TR: The Last Romantic (Basic Books, 1997) His writings have received critical and popular acclaim. The First American was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Prize, as well as a New York Times bestseller. The Age of Gold was a Washington Post Best Book of 2002 and a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. Andrew Jackson was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of 2005 and a Washington Post bestseller. What America Owes the World was a finalist for the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes and the Lionel Gelber Prize in international affairs. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, Atlantic Monthly, Smithsonian, National Interest, American Historical Review, Journal of American History, Political Science Quarterly, American History, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and many other newspapers, magazines and journals. Dr. Brands is an elected member of various honorary societies, including the Society of American Historians and the Philosophical Society of Texas. He is associate editor for Presidential Studies Quarterly and serves on the editorial board for Rhetoric and Public Affairs. He is a regular guest on national radio and television programs, and is frequently interviewed by the American and foreign press. His writings have been published in several countries and translated into German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Dr. Brands was born in Portland, Oregon, where he lived until he went to California for college. After graduating he became a traveling salesman, with a territory that spanned the West from the Pacific to Colorado. His wanderlust diminished after several trips across the Great Basin, and he turned to sales of a different sort, namely teaching. He lives in Austin with his wife and their youngest child.

"I believe in democracy and I believe democracy works best if there's an awareness of what's come before," said H. W. Brands in an interview.* "Otherwise we try to reinvent the wheel." His belief in the promise of democracy is why Dr. Brand's books appear as often in the aisles of Barnes & Noble as the stacks of colleges and universities. It also accounts for his continuing desire to travel around the country, lecturing to capacity audiences, and to teach survey courses to packed auditoriums of undergraduate students. "I want to make my classrooms as big as possible," said Brands. "The more people I can fit, the better." Dr. Brands, the Dickson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History and professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin, has won numerous teaching awards for courses on U.S. history and international relations. Holding Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees in history from Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively, as well as Master's degrees in liberal studies and mathematics from Reed College and Portland State University, Brands began his career teaching high school and community college students. He later taught at Vanderbilt University and, for 23 years, Texas A & M University before returning to Austin in 2005. Dr. Brands has written twenty books and coauthored or edited five others. His books include: Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times (Doubleday, 2005) Woodrow Wilson (Times Books/Henry Holt, 2003) The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream (Doubleday, 2002) The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin (Doubleday, 2000) What America Owes the World: The Struggle for the Soul of Foreign Policy (Cambridge UP, 1998) TR: The Last Romantic (Basic Books, 1997) His writings have received critical and popular acclaim. The First American was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Prize, as well as a New York Times bestseller. The Age of Gold was a Washington Post Best Book of 2002 and a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. Andrew Jackson was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of 2005 and a Washington Post bestseller. What America Owes the World was a finalist for the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes and the Lionel Gelber Prize in international affairs. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, Atlantic Monthly, Smithsonian, National Interest, American Historical Review, Journal of American History, Political Science Quarterly, American History, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and many other newspapers, magazines and journals. Dr. Brands is an elected member of various honorary societies, including the Society of American Historians and the Philosophical Society of Texas. He is associate editor for Presidential Studies Quarterly and serves on the editorial board for Rhetoric and Public Affairs. He is a regular guest on national radio and television programs, and is frequently interviewed by the American and foreign press. His writings have been published in several countries and translated into German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Dr. Brands was born in Portland, Oregon, where he lived until he went to California for college. After graduating he became a traveling salesman, with a territory that spanned the West from the Pacific to Colorado. His wanderlust diminished after several trips across the Great Basin, and he turned to sales of a different sort, namely teaching. He lives in Austin with his wife and their youngest child.

"I believe in democracy and I believe democracy works best if there's an awareness of what's come before," said H. W. Brands in an interview.* "Otherwise we try to reinvent the wheel." His belief in the promise of democracy is why Dr. Brand's books appear as often in the aisles of Barnes & Noble as the stacks of colleges and universities. It also accounts for his continuing desire to travel around the country, lecturing to capacity audiences, and to teach survey courses to packed auditoriums of undergraduate students. "I want to make my classrooms as big as possible," said Brands. "The more people I can fit, the better." Dr. Brands, the Dickson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History and professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin, has won numerous teaching awards for courses on U.S. history and international relations. Holding Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees in history from Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively, as well as Master's degrees in liberal studies and mathematics from Reed College and Portland State University, Brands began his career teaching high school and community college students. He later taught at Vanderbilt University and, for 23 years, Texas A & M University before returning to Austin in 2005. Dr. Brands has written twenty books and coauthored or edited five others. His books include: Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times (Doubleday, 2005) Woodrow Wilson (Times Books/Henry Holt, 2003) The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream (Doubleday, 2002) The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin (Doubleday, 2000) What America Owes the World: The Struggle for the Soul of Foreign Policy (Cambridge UP, 1998) TR: The Last Romantic (Basic Books, 1997) His writings have received critical and popular acclaim. The First American was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Prize, as well as a New York Times bestseller. The Age of Gold was a Washington Post Best Book of 2002 and a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. Andrew Jackson was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of 2005 and a Washington Post bestseller. What America Owes the World was a finalist for the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes and the Lionel Gelber Prize in international affairs. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, Atlantic Monthly, Smithsonian, National Interest, American Historical Review, Journal of American History, Political Science Quarterly, American History, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and many other newspapers, magazines and journals. Dr. Brands is an elected member of various honorary societies, including the Society of American Historians and the Philosophical Society of Texas. He is associate editor for Presidential Studies Quarterly and serves on the editorial board for Rhetoric and Public Affairs. He is a regular guest on national radio and television programs, and is frequently interviewed by the American and foreign press. His writings have been published in several countries and translated into German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Dr. Brands was born in Portland, Oregon, where he lived until he went to California for college. After graduating he became a traveling salesman, with a territory that spanned the West from the Pacific to Colorado. His wanderlust diminished after several trips across the Great Basin, and he turned to sales of a different sort, namely teaching. He lives in Austin with his wife and their youngest child.

"I believe in democracy and I believe democracy works best if there's an awareness of what's come before," said H. W. Brands in an interview.* "Otherwise we try to reinvent the wheel." His belief in the promise of democracy is why Dr. Brand's books appear as often in the aisles of Barnes & Noble as the stacks of colleges and universities. It also accounts for his continuing desire to travel around the country, lecturing to capacity audiences, and to teach survey courses to packed auditoriums of undergraduate students. "I want to make my classrooms as big as possible," said Brands. "The more people I can fit, the better." Dr. Brands, the Dickson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History and professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin, has won numerous teaching awards for courses on U.S. history and international relations. Holding Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees in history from Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively, as well as Master's degrees in liberal studies and mathematics from Reed College and Portland State University, Brands began his career teaching high school and community college students. He later taught at Vanderbilt University and, for 23 years, Texas A & M University before returning to Austin in 2005. Dr. Brands has written twenty books and coauthored or edited five others. His books include: Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times (Doubleday, 2005) Woodrow Wilson (Times Books/Henry Holt, 2003) The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream (Doubleday, 2002) The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin (Doubleday, 2000) What America Owes the World: The Struggle for the Soul of Foreign Policy (Cambridge UP, 1998) TR: The Last Romantic (Basic Books, 1997) His writings have received critical and popular acclaim. The First American was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Prize, as well as a New York Times bestseller. The Age of Gold was a Washington Post Best Book of 2002 and a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. Andrew Jackson was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of 2005 and a Washington Post bestseller. What America Owes the World was a finalist for the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes and the Lionel Gelber Prize in international affairs. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, Atlantic Monthly, Smithsonian, National Interest, American Historical Review, Journal of American History, Political Science Quarterly, American History, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and many other newspapers, magazines and journals. Dr. Brands is an elected member of various honorary societies, including the Society of American Historians and the Philosophical Society of Texas. He is associate editor for Presidential Studies Quarterly and serves on the editorial board for Rhetoric and Public Affairs. He is a regular guest on national radio and television programs, and is frequently interviewed by the American and foreign press. His writings have been published in several countries and translated into German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Dr. Brands was born in Portland, Oregon, where he lived until he went to California for college. After graduating he became a traveling salesman, with a territory that spanned the West from the Pacific to Colorado. His wanderlust diminished after several trips across the Great Basin, and he turned to sales of a different sort, namely teaching. He lives in Austin with his wife and their youngest child.

"I believe in democracy and I believe democracy works best if there's an awareness of what's come before," said H. W. Brands in an interview.* "Otherwise we try to reinvent the wheel." His belief in the promise of democracy is why Dr. Brand's books appear as often in the aisles of Barnes & Noble as the stacks of colleges and universities. It also accounts for his continuing desire to travel around the country, lecturing to capacity audiences, and to teach survey courses to packed auditoriums of undergraduate students. "I want to make my classrooms as big as possible," said Brands. "The more people I can fit, the better." Dr. Brands, the Dickson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History and professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin, has won numerous teaching awards for courses on U.S. history and international relations. Holding Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees in history from Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively, as well as Master's degrees in liberal studies and mathematics from Reed College and Portland State University, Brands began his career teaching high school and community college students. He later taught at Vanderbilt University and, for 23 years, Texas A & M University before returning to Austin in 2005. Dr. Brands has written twenty books and coauthored or edited five others. His books include: Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times (Doubleday, 2005) Woodrow Wilson (Times Books/Henry Holt, 2003) The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream (Doubleday, 2002) The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin (Doubleday, 2000) What America Owes the World: The Struggle for the Soul of Foreign Policy (Cambridge UP, 1998) TR: The Last Romantic (Basic Books, 1997) His writings have received critical and popular acclaim. The First American was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Prize, as well as a New York Times bestseller. The Age of Gold was a Washington Post Best Book of 2002 and a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. Andrew Jackson was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of 2005 and a Washington Post bestseller. What America Owes the World was a finalist for the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes and the Lionel Gelber Prize in international affairs. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, Atlantic Monthly, Smithsonian, National Interest, American Historical Review, Journal of American History, Political Science Quarterly, American History, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and many other newspapers, magazines and journals. Dr. Brands is an elected member of various honorary societies, including the Society of American Historians and the Philosophical Society of Texas. He is associate editor for Presidential Studies Quarterly and serves on the editorial board for Rhetoric and Public Affairs. He is a regular guest on national radio and television programs, and is frequently interviewed by the American and foreign press. His writings have been published in several countries and translated into German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Dr. Brands was born in Portland, Oregon, where he lived until he went to California for college. After graduating he became a traveling salesman, with a territory that spanned the West from the Pacific to Colorado. His wanderlust diminished after several trips across the Great Basin, and he turned to sales of a different sort, namely teaching. He lives in Austin with his wife and their youngest child.

"I believe in democracy and I believe democracy works best if there's an awareness of what's come before," said H. W. Brands in an interview.* "Otherwise we try to reinvent the wheel." His belief in the promise of democracy is why Dr. Brand's books appear as often in the aisles of Barnes & Noble as the stacks of colleges and universities. It also accounts for his continuing desire to travel around the country, lecturing to capacity audiences, and to teach survey courses to packed auditoriums of undergraduate students. "I want to make my classrooms as big as possible," said Brands. "The more people I can fit, the better." Dr. Brands, the Dickson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History and professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin, has won numerous teaching awards for courses on U.S. history and international relations. Holding Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees in history from Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively, as well as Master's degrees in liberal studies and mathematics from Reed College and Portland State University, Brands began his career teaching high school and community college students. He later taught at Vanderbilt University and, for 23 years, Texas A & M University before returning to Austin in 2005. Dr. Brands has written twenty books and coauthored or edited five others. His books include: Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times (Doubleday, 2005) Woodrow Wilson (Times Books/Henry Holt, 2003) The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream (Doubleday, 2002) The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin (Doubleday, 2000) What America Owes the World: The Struggle for the Soul of Foreign Policy (Cambridge UP, 1998) TR: The Last Romantic (Basic Books, 1997) His writings have received critical and popular acclaim. The First American was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Prize, as well as a New York Times bestseller. The Age of Gold was a Washington Post Best Book of 2002 and a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. Andrew Jackson was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of 2005 and a Washington Post bestseller. What America Owes the World was a finalist for the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes and the Lionel Gelber Prize in international affairs. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, Atlantic Monthly, Smithsonian, National Interest, American Historical Review, Journal of American History, Political Science Quarterly, American History, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and many other newspapers, magazines and journals. Dr. Brands is an elected member of various honorary societies, including the Society of American Historians and the Philosophical Society of Texas. He is associate editor for Presidential Studies Quarterly and serves on the editorial board for Rhetoric and Public Affairs. He is a regular guest on national radio and television programs, and is frequently interviewed by the American and foreign press. His writings have been published in several countries and translated into German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Dr. Brands was born in Portland, Oregon, where he lived until he went to California for college. After graduating he became a traveling salesman, with a territory that spanned the West from the Pacific to Colorado. His wanderlust diminished after several trips across the Great Basin, and he turned to sales of a different sort, namely teaching. He lives in Austin with his wife and their youngest child.

"I believe in democracy and I believe democracy works best if there's an awareness of what's come before," said H. W. Brands in an interview.* "Otherwise we try to reinvent the wheel." His belief in the promise of democracy is why Dr. Brand's books appear as often in the aisles of Barnes & Noble as the stacks of colleges and universities. It also accounts for his continuing desire to travel around the country, lecturing to capacity audiences, and to teach survey courses to packed auditoriums of undergraduate students. "I want to make my classrooms as big as possible," said Brands. "The more people I can fit, the better." Dr. Brands, the Dickson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History and professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin, has won numerous teaching awards for courses on U.S. history and international relations. Holding Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees in history from Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively, as well as Master's degrees in liberal studies and mathematics from Reed College and Portland State University, Brands began his career teaching high school and community college students. He later taught at Vanderbilt University and, for 23 years, Texas A & M University before returning to Austin in 2005. Dr. Brands has written twenty books and coauthored or edited five others. His books include: Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times (Doubleday, 2005) Woodrow Wilson (Times Books/Henry Holt, 2003) The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream (Doubleday, 2002) The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin (Doubleday, 2000) What America Owes the World: The Struggle for the Soul of Foreign Policy (Cambridge UP, 1998) TR: The Last Romantic (Basic Books, 1997) His writings have received critical and popular acclaim. The First American was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Prize, as well as a New York Times bestseller. The Age of Gold was a Washington Post Best Book of 2002 and a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. Andrew Jackson was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of 2005 and a Washington Post bestseller. What America Owes the World was a finalist for the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes and the Lionel Gelber Prize in international affairs. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, Atlantic Monthly, Smithsonian, National Interest, American Historical Review, Journal of American History, Political Science Quarterly, American History, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and many other newspapers, magazines and journals. Dr. Brands is an elected member of various honorary societies, including the Society of American Historians and the Philosophical Society of Texas. He is associate editor for Presidential Studies Quarterly and serves on the editorial board for Rhetoric and Public Affairs. He is a regular guest on national radio and television programs, and is frequently interviewed by the American and foreign press. His writings have been published in several countries and translated into German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Dr. Brands was born in Portland, Oregon, where he lived until he went to California for college. After graduating he became a traveling salesman, with a territory that spanned the West from the Pacific to Colorado. His wanderlust diminished after several trips across the Great Basin, and he turned to sales of a different sort, namely teaching. He lives in Austin with his wife and their youngest child.

"I believe in democracy and I believe democracy works best if there's an awareness of what's come before," said H. W. Brands in an interview.* "Otherwise we try to reinvent the wheel." His belief in the promise of democracy is why Dr. Brand's books appear as often in the aisles of Barnes & Noble as the stacks of colleges and universities. It also accounts for his continuing desire to travel around the country, lecturing to capacity audiences, and to teach survey courses to packed auditoriums of undergraduate students. "I want to make my classrooms as big as possible," said Brands. "The more people I can fit, the better." Dr. Brands, the Dickson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History and professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin, has won numerous teaching awards for courses on U.S. history and international relations. Holding Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees in history from Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively, as well as Master's degrees in liberal studies and mathematics from Reed College and Portland State University, Brands began his career teaching high school and community college students. He later taught at Vanderbilt University and, for 23 years, Texas A & M University before returning to Austin in 2005. Dr. Brands has written twenty books and coauthored or edited five others. His books include: Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times (Doubleday, 2005) Woodrow Wilson (Times Books/Henry Holt, 2003) The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream (Doubleday, 2002) The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin (Doubleday, 2000) What America Owes the World: The Struggle for the Soul of Foreign Policy (Cambridge UP, 1998) TR: The Last Romantic (Basic Books, 1997) His writings have received critical and popular acclaim. The First American was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Prize, as well as a New York Times bestseller. The Age of Gold was a Washington Post Best Book of 2002 and a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. Andrew Jackson was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of 2005 and a Washington Post bestseller. What America Owes the World was a finalist for the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes and the Lionel Gelber Prize in international affairs. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, Atlantic Monthly, Smithsonian, National Interest, American Historical Review, Journal of American History, Political Science Quarterly, American History, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and many other newspapers, magazines and journals. Dr. Brands is an elected member of various honorary societies, including the Society of American Historians and the Philosophical Society of Texas. He is associate editor for Presidential Studies Quarterly and serves on the editorial board for Rhetoric and Public Affairs. He is a regular guest on national radio and television programs, and is frequently interviewed by the American and foreign press. His writings have been published in several countries and translated into German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Dr. Brands was born in Portland, Oregon, where he lived until he went to California for college. After graduating he became a traveling salesman, with a territory that spanned the West from the Pacific to Colorado. His wanderlust diminished after several trips across the Great Basin, and he turned to sales of a different sort, namely teaching. He lives in Austin with his wife and their youngest child.

"I believe in democracy and I believe democracy works best if there's an awareness of what's come before," said H. W. Brands in an interview.* "Otherwise we try to reinvent the wheel." His belief in the promise of democracy is why Dr. Brand's books appear as often in the aisles of Barnes & Noble as the stacks of colleges and universities. It also accounts for his continuing desire to travel around the country, lecturing to capacity audiences, and to teach survey courses to packed auditoriums of undergraduate students. "I want to make my classrooms as big as possible," said Brands. "The more people I can fit, the better." Dr. Brands, the Dickson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History and professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin, has won numerous teaching awards for courses on U.S. history and international relations. Holding Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees in history from Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively, as well as Master's degrees in liberal studies and mathematics from Reed College and Portland State University, Brands began his career teaching high school and community college students. He later taught at Vanderbilt University and, for 23 years, Texas A & M University before returning to Austin in 2005. Dr. Brands has written twenty books and coauthored or edited five others. His books include: Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times (Doubleday, 2005) Woodrow Wilson (Times Books/Henry Holt, 2003) The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream (Doubleday, 2002) The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin (Doubleday, 2000) What America Owes the World: The Struggle for the Soul of Foreign Policy (Cambridge UP, 1998) TR: The Last Romantic (Basic Books, 1997) His writings have received critical and popular acclaim. The First American was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Prize, as well as a New York Times bestseller. The Age of Gold was a Washington Post Best Book of 2002 and a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. Andrew Jackson was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of 2005 and a Washington Post bestseller. What America Owes the World was a finalist for the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes and the Lionel Gelber Prize in international affairs. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, Atlantic Monthly, Smithsonian, National Interest, American Historical Review, Journal of American History, Political Science Quarterly, American History, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and many other newspapers, magazines and journals. Dr. Brands is an elected member of various honorary societies, including the Society of American Historians and the Philosophical Society of Texas. He is associate editor for Presidential Studies Quarterly and serves on the editorial board for Rhetoric and Public Affairs. He is a regular guest on national radio and television programs, and is frequently interviewed by the American and foreign press. His writings have been published in several countries and translated into German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Dr. Brands was born in Portland, Oregon, where he lived until he went to California for college. After graduating he became a traveling salesman, with a territory that spanned the West from the Pacific to Colorado. His wanderlust diminished after several trips across the Great Basin, and he turned to sales of a different sort, namely teaching. He lives in Austin with his wife and their youngest child.

"I believe in democracy and I believe democracy works best if there's an awareness of what's come before," said H. W. Brands in an interview.* "Otherwise we try to reinvent the wheel." His belief in the promise of democracy is why Dr. Brand's books appear as often in the aisles of Barnes & Noble as the stacks of colleges and universities. It also accounts for his continuing desire to travel around the country, lecturing to capacity audiences, and to teach survey courses to packed auditoriums of undergraduate students. "I want to make my classrooms as big as possible," said Brands. "The more people I can fit, the better." Dr. Brands, the Dickson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History and professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin, has won numerous teaching awards for courses on U.S. history and international relations. Holding Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees in history from Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively, as well as Master's degrees in liberal studies and mathematics from Reed College and Portland State University, Brands began his career teaching high school and community college students. He later taught at Vanderbilt University and, for 23 years, Texas A & M University before returning to Austin in 2005. Dr. Brands has written twenty books and coauthored or edited five others. His books include: Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times (Doubleday, 2005) Woodrow Wilson (Times Books/Henry Holt, 2003) The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream (Doubleday, 2002) The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin (Doubleday, 2000) What America Owes the World: The Struggle for the Soul of Foreign Policy (Cambridge UP, 1998) TR: The Last Romantic (Basic Books, 1997) His writings have received critical and popular acclaim. The First American was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Prize, as well as a New York Times bestseller. The Age of Gold was a Washington Post Best Book of 2002 and a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. Andrew Jackson was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of 2005 and a Washington Post bestseller. What America Owes the World was a finalist for the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes and the Lionel Gelber Prize in international affairs. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, Atlantic Monthly, Smithsonian, National Interest, American Historical Review, Journal of American History, Political Science Quarterly, American History, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and many other newspapers, magazines and journals. Dr. Brands is an elected member of various honorary societies, including the Society of American Historians and the Philosophical Society of Texas. He is associate editor for Presidential Studies Quarterly and serves on the editorial board for Rhetoric and Public Affairs. He is a regular guest on national radio and television programs, and is frequently interviewed by the American and foreign press. His writings have been published in several countries and translated into German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Dr. Brands was born in Portland, Oregon, where he lived until he went to California for college. After graduating he became a traveling salesman, with a territory that spanned the West from the Pacific to Colorado. His wanderlust diminished after several trips across the Great Basin, and he turned to sales of a different sort, namely teaching. He lives in Austin with his wife and their youngest child.

"I believe in democracy and I believe democracy works best if there's an awareness of what's come before," said H. W. Brands in an interview.* "Otherwise we try to reinvent the wheel." His belief in the promise of democracy is why Dr. Brand's books appear as often in the aisles of Barnes & Noble as the stacks of colleges and universities. It also accounts for his continuing desire to travel around the country, lecturing to capacity audiences, and to teach survey courses to packed auditoriums of undergraduate students. "I want to make my classrooms as big as possible," said Brands. "The more people I can fit, the better." Dr. Brands, the Dickson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History and professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin, has won numerous teaching awards for courses on U.S. history and international relations. Holding Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees in history from Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively, as well as Master's degrees in liberal studies and mathematics from Reed College and Portland State University, Brands began his career teaching high school and community college students. He later taught at Vanderbilt University and, for 23 years, Texas A & M University before returning to Austin in 2005. Dr. Brands has written twenty books and coauthored or edited five others. His books include: Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times (Doubleday, 2005) Woodrow Wilson (Times Books/Henry Holt, 2003) The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream (Doubleday, 2002) The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin (Doubleday, 2000) What America Owes the World: The Struggle for the Soul of Foreign Policy (Cambridge UP, 1998) TR: The Last Romantic (Basic Books, 1997) His writings have received critical and popular acclaim. The First American was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Prize, as well as a New York Times bestseller. The Age of Gold was a Washington Post Best Book of 2002 and a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. Andrew Jackson was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of 2005 and a Washington Post bestseller. What America Owes the World was a finalist for the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes and the Lionel Gelber Prize in international affairs. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, Atlantic Monthly, Smithsonian, National Interest, American Historical Review, Journal of American History, Political Science Quarterly, American History, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and many other newspapers, magazines and journals. Dr. Brands is an elected member of various honorary societies, including the Society of American Historians and the Philosophical Society of Texas. He is associate editor for Presidential Studies Quarterly and serves on the editorial board for Rhetoric and Public Affairs. He is a regular guest on national radio and television programs, and is frequently interviewed by the American and foreign press. His writings have been published in several countries and translated into German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Dr. Brands was born in Portland, Oregon, where he lived until he went to California for college. After graduating he became a traveling salesman, with a territory that spanned the West from the Pacific to Colorado. His wanderlust diminished after several trips across the Great Basin, and he turned to sales of a different sort, namely teaching. He lives in Austin with his wife and their youngest child.

"I believe in democracy and I believe democracy works best if there's an awareness of what's come before," said H. W. Brands in an interview.* "Otherwise we try to reinvent the wheel." His belief in the promise of democracy is why Dr. Brand's books appear as often in the aisles of Barnes & Noble as the stacks of colleges and universities. It also accounts for his continuing desire to travel around the country, lecturing to capacity audiences, and to teach survey courses to packed auditoriums of undergraduate students. "I want to make my classrooms as big as possible," said Brands. "The more people I can fit, the better." Dr. Brands, the Dickson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History and professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin, has won numerous teaching awards for courses on U.S. history and international relations. Holding Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees in history from Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively, as well as Master's degrees in liberal studies and mathematics from Reed College and Portland State University, Brands began his career teaching high school and community college students. He later taught at Vanderbilt University and, for 23 years, Texas A & M University before returning to Austin in 2005. Dr. Brands has written twenty books and coauthored or edited five others. His books include: Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times (Doubleday, 2005) Woodrow Wilson (Times Books/Henry Holt, 2003) The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream (Doubleday, 2002) The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin (Doubleday, 2000) What America Owes the World: The Struggle for the Soul of Foreign Policy (Cambridge UP, 1998) TR: The Last Romantic (Basic Books, 1997) His writings have received critical and popular acclaim. The First American was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Prize, as well as a New York Times bestseller. The Age of Gold was a Washington Post Best Book of 2002 and a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. Andrew Jackson was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of 2005 and a Washington Post bestseller. What America Owes the World was a finalist for the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes and the Lionel Gelber Prize in international affairs. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, Atlantic Monthly, Smithsonian, National Interest, American Historical Review, Journal of American History, Political Science Quarterly, American History, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and many other newspapers, magazines and journals. Dr. Brands is an elected member of various honorary societies, including the Society of American Historians and the Philosophical Society of Texas. He is associate editor for Presidential Studies Quarterly and serves on the editorial board for Rhetoric and Public Affairs. He is a regular guest on national radio and television programs, and is frequently interviewed by the American and foreign press. His writings have been published in several countries and translated into German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Dr. Brands was born in Portland, Oregon, where he lived until he went to California for college. After graduating he became a traveling salesman, with a territory that spanned the West from the Pacific to Colorado. His wanderlust diminished after several trips across the Great Basin, and he turned to sales of a different sort, namely teaching. He lives in Austin with his wife and their youngest child.

"I believe in democracy and I believe democracy works best if there's an awareness of what's come before," said H. W. Brands in an interview.* "Otherwise we try to reinvent the wheel." His belief in the promise of democracy is why Dr. Brand's books appear as often in the aisles of Barnes & Noble as the stacks of colleges and universities. It also accounts for his continuing desire to travel around the country, lecturing to capacity audiences, and to teach survey courses to packed auditoriums of undergraduate students. "I want to make my classrooms as big as possible," said Brands. "The more people I can fit, the better." Dr. Brands, the Dickson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History and professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin, has won numerous teaching awards for courses on U.S. history and international relations. Holding Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees in history from Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively, as well as Master's degrees in liberal studies and mathematics from Reed College and Portland State University, Brands began his career teaching high school and community college students. He later taught at Vanderbilt University and, for 23 years, Texas A & M University before returning to Austin in 2005. Dr. Brands has written twenty books and coauthored or edited five others. His books include: Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times (Doubleday, 2005) Woodrow Wilson (Times Books/Henry Holt, 2003) The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream (Doubleday, 2002) The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin (Doubleday, 2000) What America Owes the World: The Struggle for the Soul of Foreign Policy (Cambridge UP, 1998) TR: The Last Romantic (Basic Books, 1997) His writings have received critical and popular acclaim. The First American was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Prize, as well as a New York Times bestseller. The Age of Gold was a Washington Post Best Book of 2002 and a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. Andrew Jackson was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of 2005 and a Washington Post bestseller. What America Owes the World was a finalist for the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes and the Lionel Gelber Prize in international affairs. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, Atlantic Monthly, Smithsonian, National Interest, American Historical Review, Journal of American History, Political Science Quarterly, American History, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and many other newspapers, magazines and journals. Dr. Brands is an elected member of various honorary societies, including the Society of American Historians and the Philosophical Society of Texas. He is associate editor for Presidential Studies Quarterly and serves on the editorial board for Rhetoric and Public Affairs. He is a regular guest on national radio and television programs, and is frequently interviewed by the American and foreign press. His writings have been published in several countries and translated into German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Dr. Brands was born in Portland, Oregon, where he lived until he went to California for college. After graduating he became a traveling salesman, with a territory that spanned the West from the Pacific to Colorado. His wanderlust diminished after several trips across the Great Basin, and he turned to sales of a different sort, namely teaching. He lives in Austin with his wife and their youngest child.

"I believe in democracy and I believe democracy works best if there's an awareness of what's come before," said H. W. Brands in an interview.* "Otherwise we try to reinvent the wheel." His belief in the promise of democracy is why Dr. Brand's books appear as often in the aisles of Barnes & Noble as the stacks of colleges and universities. It also accounts for his continuing desire to travel around the country, lecturing to capacity audiences, and to teach survey courses to packed auditoriums of undergraduate students. "I want to make my classrooms as big as possible," said Brands. "The more people I can fit, the better." Dr. Brands, the Dickson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History and professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin, has won numerous teaching awards for courses on U.S. history and international relations. Holding Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees in history from Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively, as well as Master's degrees in liberal studies and mathematics from Reed College and Portland State University, Brands began his career teaching high school and community college students. He later taught at Vanderbilt University and, for 23 years, Texas A & M University before returning to Austin in 2005. Dr. Brands has written twenty books and coauthored or edited five others. His books include: Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times (Doubleday, 2005) Woodrow Wilson (Times Books/Henry Holt, 2003) The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream (Doubleday, 2002) The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin (Doubleday, 2000) What America Owes the World: The Struggle for the Soul of Foreign Policy (Cambridge UP, 1998) TR: The Last Romantic (Basic Books, 1997) His writings have received critical and popular acclaim. The First American was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Prize, as well as a New York Times bestseller. The Age of Gold was a Washington Post Best Book of 2002 and a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. Andrew Jackson was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of 2005 and a Washington Post bestseller. What America Owes the World was a finalist for the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes and the Lionel Gelber Prize in international affairs. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, Atlantic Monthly, Smithsonian, National Interest, American Historical Review, Journal of American History, Political Science Quarterly, American History, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and many other newspapers, magazines and journals. Dr. Brands is an elected member of various honorary societies, including the Society of American Historians and the Philosophical Society of Texas. He is associate editor for Presidential Studies Quarterly and serves on the editorial board for Rhetoric and Public Affairs. He is a regular guest on national radio and television programs, and is frequently interviewed by the American and foreign press. His writings have been published in several countries and translated into German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Dr. Brands was born in Portland, Oregon, where he lived until he went to California for college. After graduating he became a traveling salesman, with a territory that spanned the West from the Pacific to Colorado. His wanderlust diminished after several trips across the Great Basin, and he turned to sales of a different sort, namely teaching. He lives in Austin with his wife and their youngest child.

"I believe in democracy and I believe democracy works best if there's an awareness of what's come before," said H. W. Brands in an interview.* "Otherwise we try to reinvent the wheel." His belief in the promise of democracy is why Dr. Brand's books appear as often in the aisles of Barnes & Noble as the stacks of colleges and universities. It also accounts for his continuing desire to travel around the country, lecturing to capacity audiences, and to teach survey courses to packed auditoriums of undergraduate students. "I want to make my classrooms as big as possible," said Brands. "The more people I can fit, the better." Dr. Brands, the Dickson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History and professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin, has won numerous teaching awards for courses on U.S. history and international relations. Holding Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees in history from Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively, as well as Master's degrees in liberal studies and mathematics from Reed College and Portland State University, Brands began his career teaching high school and community college students. He later taught at Vanderbilt University and, for 23 years, Texas A & M University before returning to Austin in 2005. Dr. Brands has written twenty books and coauthored or edited five others. His books include: Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times (Doubleday, 2005) Woodrow Wilson (Times Books/Henry Holt, 2003) The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream (Doubleday, 2002) The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin (Doubleday, 2000) What America Owes the World: The Struggle for the Soul of Foreign Policy (Cambridge UP, 1998) TR: The Last Romantic (Basic Books, 1997) His writings have received critical and popular acclaim. The First American was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Prize, as well as a New York Times bestseller. The Age of Gold was a Washington Post Best Book of 2002 and a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. Andrew Jackson was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of 2005 and a Washington Post bestseller. What America Owes the World was a finalist for the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes and the Lionel Gelber Prize in international affairs. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, Atlantic Monthly, Smithsonian, National Interest, American Historical Review, Journal of American History, Political Science Quarterly, American History, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and many other newspapers, magazines and journals. Dr. Brands is an elected member of various honorary societies, including the Society of American Historians and the Philosophical Society of Texas. He is associate editor for Presidential Studies Quarterly and serves on the editorial board for Rhetoric and Public Affairs. He is a regular guest on national radio and television programs, and is frequently interviewed by the American and foreign press. His writings have been published in several countries and translated into German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Dr. Brands was born in Portland, Oregon, where he lived until he went to California for college. After graduating he became a traveling salesman, with a territory that spanned the West from the Pacific to Colorado. His wanderlust diminished after several trips across the Great Basin, and he turned to sales of a different sort, namely teaching. He lives in Austin with his wife and their youngest child.

"I believe in democracy and I believe democracy works best if there's an awareness of what's come before," said H. W. Brands in an interview.* "Otherwise we try to reinvent the wheel." His belief in the promise of democracy is why Dr. Brand's books appear as often in the aisles of Barnes & Noble as the stacks of colleges and universities. It also accounts for his continuing desire to travel around the country, lecturing to capacity audiences, and to teach survey courses to packed auditoriums of undergraduate students. "I want to make my classrooms as big as possible," said Brands. "The more people I can fit, the better." Dr. Brands, the Dickson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History and professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin, has won numerous teaching awards for courses on U.S. history and international relations. Holding Bachelor's and Doctoral degrees in history from Stanford University and the University of Texas at Austin, respectively, as well as Master's degrees in liberal studies and mathematics from Reed College and Portland State University, Brands began his career teaching high school and community college students. He later taught at Vanderbilt University and, for 23 years, Texas A & M University before returning to Austin in 2005. Dr. Brands has written twenty books and coauthored or edited five others. His books include: Andrew Jackson: His Life and Times (Doubleday, 2005) Woodrow Wilson (Times Books/Henry Holt, 2003) The Age of Gold: The California Gold Rush and the New American Dream (Doubleday, 2002) The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin (Doubleday, 2000) What America Owes the World: The Struggle for the Soul of Foreign Policy (Cambridge UP, 1998) TR: The Last Romantic (Basic Books, 1997) His writings have received critical and popular acclaim. The First American was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and the Los Angeles Times Prize, as well as a New York Times bestseller. The Age of Gold was a Washington Post Best Book of 2002 and a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller. Andrew Jackson was a Chicago Tribune Best Book of 2005 and a Washington Post bestseller. What America Owes the World was a finalist for the Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes and the Lionel Gelber Prize in international affairs. His articles have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, International Herald Tribune, Boston Globe, Atlantic Monthly, Smithsonian, National Interest, American Historical Review, Journal of American History, Political Science Quarterly, American History, Presidential Studies Quarterly, and many other newspapers, magazines and journals. Dr. Brands is an elected member of various honorary societies, including the Society of American Historians and the Philosophical Society of Texas. He is associate editor for Presidential Studies Quarterly and serves on the editorial board for Rhetoric and Public Affairs. He is a regular guest on national radio and television programs, and is frequently interviewed by the American and foreign press. His writings have been published in several countries and translated into German, French, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. Dr. Brands was born in Portland, Oregon, where he lived until he went to California for college. After graduating he became a traveling salesman, with a territory that spanned the West from the Pacific to Colorado. His wanderlust diminished after several trips across the Great Basin, and he turned to sales of a different sort, namely teaching. He lives in Austin with his wife and their youngest child.