Benedict Arnold’s ‘Villainous Perfidy’

June 1, 2018 · Benedict Arnold, American Revolution, Gordon S. Wood

Gordon S. Wood on Arnold’s path from wartime hero to resentful traitor—and why it’s a story worth remembering.

Prodigy of Freedom

June 2, 2017 · Books and Art, Founding Fathers, Thomas Jefferson

Most Americans have thought about Thomas Jefferson much as our first professional biographer, James Parton, did. "If Jefferson was wrong," wrote Parton in 1874, "America is wrong. If America is right, Jefferson was right." Unfortunately, Jefferson at present looks to be more wrong than right, at…

History in Context

February 23, 2015 · book reviews, Magazine, Gordon S. Wood

Although Bernard Bailyn is one of the most distinguished historians in the Western world, he is not as well known as he should be. He rarely appears in the popular media, and he has never published a book that has sold millions of copies. But all those who are seriously interested in the history of…