The American Story

by David M. Rubenstein

  President Abraham Lincoln delivering his second inaugural address, March 4, 1865.

  ADDITIONAL PRAISE FOR

  THE AMERICAN STORY

  “David’s boundless curiosity and lifelong interest in American history make him an ideal choice to interview our nation’s foremost historians. The lessons in The American Story are as timeless as they are timely.”

  —Lonnie G. Bunch III, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution

  “The American Story is yet another of David’s patriotic, philanthropic gifts to our country, its history, and its citizens. It’s his enthusiasm that I admire most and that drives these important conversations.”

  —Mike Krzyzewski, head coach, Duke men’s basketball

  “History matters, and these engaging and enlightening conversations show why. David Rubenstein deserves a medal—as a knowledgeable, incisive, and witty interlocutor, but also as the creator of these Congressional Dialogues, which present the insights of the past to those responsible for the future.”

  —Drew Gilpin Faust, 28th president of Harvard

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  To Alexa, Ellie, and Andrew, and the teachers of American history and civics

  FOREWORD

  As Librarian of Congress, I am frequently asked two questions that are similar but come from diametrically opposed assumptions. First, “Is the Library of Congress only for members of Congress?” And second, “Do members of Congress actually use the Library?”

  The answer to the first is, no, the Library of Congress is for everyone—and I hope everyone reading this will visit (there is plenty to visit online, even if you can’t come to Washington). The answer to the second is a resounding yes, members of Congress use the Library, and they use it all the time and in many different ways.

  Members have access to a unit of dedicated experts who provide nonpartisan research and analysis, fielding thousands of queries every year. Members check out books by the thousands. And members use the Library’s physical spaces for all kinds of activities. As well, the Library hosts many programs throughout the year—some for broader audiences and some just for members of Congress.

  It is in support of our mission to provide information to Congress that the Library has hosted the Congressional Dialogues series. These events are an opportunity for members to come to the Library for an evening built around the study of individuals who have been significant in American history. They feature treasures from the Library collections related to the individuals and topic, illuminated by our historians and curators—and, of course, the main event, a conversation with biographers and historians who have studied and written acclaimed works about these figures. Members have the opportunity to listen, ask questions, and dialogue with the guest author and with each other—a rare opportunity for bipartisan gathering and learning.

  I have learned something too, on every one of these occasions. In part that is due to the exceptional interviewer who moderates and asks questions of each guest author, David M. Rubenstein. David is a remarkable person for many reasons. He describes his approach to charitable giving as “patriotic philanthropy.” But don’t think he has simply coined a phrase. His actions bear this out, in extraordinary ways. In addition to his support of the Library of Congress and its programs, including the National Book Festival, he has made historic contributions to the National Archives, restored the Washington Monument, mounted the panda program at the National Zoo, and too many other endeavors to fully chronicle here. In addition to all this, David and I share a voracious love of reading. It is his reading and preparation that help make these conversations insightful, spirited, and memorable.

  Which brings me back to the first question about whether the Library is only for members of Congress. While these sessions are, in fact, for Congress, I am grateful to David for his vision in sharing the portion of these programs devoted to his discussion with the authors. In these pages you will find thoughtful exchanges about some of the giants in history—what motivated them, what scared them, what inspired them? It is my hope you will be inspired as well, to read some of these books in their entirety and expand your understanding of the shared history of our nation.

  Carla Hayden

  14th Librarian of Congress

  INTRODUCTION

  The American story is one that surely could not have been foreseen by those who helped to create the United States in 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was adopted, or in 1787, when the Constitution was created.

  Who then could have predicted that thirteen colonies would evolve, with many starts and fits, into the world’s largest economy, most powerful military force, leading political power, and also—for so many—a leading symbol of liberty, freedom, and justice?

  Who then could have predicted that so many extraordinary leaders—men and women, from all kinds of backgrounds, with so many different types of skills and talents—would emerge to create the American story? Who then could have predicted how hard it would be, more than two hundred years later, to convey the depth and breadth of that story to those interested in learning how the United States evolved?

  This book is designed, through interviews with leading American historians, to provide a glimpse into the American story.

  Why is it so important to know about history?

  George Santayana, a Spanish-born Harvard professor of philosophy (among many other subjects), may have said it best: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” In other words, a knowledge of history is likely to help individuals, and perhaps especially policymakers, to avoid the mistakes of the past, and thereby, one hopes, make better decisions about the future.

  To be sure, life (and policymaking) is more complicated than that. Those steeped in a knowledge of history do not always make perfect decisions.

  Still, having such knowledge improves the chances of avoiding the mistakes of the past. One of the best ways to acquire it is to read and learn from the painstaking, laborious, read-the-original-documents work of historians. Alfred Nobel did not create a history prize, but that oversight should not be taken to mean that the work of historians in educating us about the past (and, in effect, about the future) is less significant than the work of those who do win Nobel Prizes.

  * * *

  My lifelong interest in history may stem from several factors. Perhaps it came about because my grades in history were better than my other grades, or perhaps because I was fortunate at a young age to work on Capitol Hill and in the White House—two places at the center of American history. Or perhaps because I became involved with trying to preserve historic documents and historic buildings.

  After college at Duke University and law school at the University of Chicago, I practiced law in New York, worked for the late Senator Birch Bayh of Indiana and President Jimmy Carter, and then practiced law in Washington, D.C. My career did not lead anyone to think that I had the skill set or background to enter the investment world. Most especially was that true of my mother, who thought I should always keep my law license in case my investment efforts went south. And, to please her, I have remained to this day a member of the D.C. Bar.

  In 1987, I started the first buyout firm in Washington with three others, each of whom, fortunately, had a background in finance. The firm—the Carlyle Group—beca
me one of the world’s largest private-equity firms. And its success enabled me to indulge a bit more my love of reading, books, and history.

  In 2007, I heard that the only privately owned copy of Magna Carta was going to be sold at Sotheby’s. I was invited to view this historic document a day before the sale. I was told that this copy, also the only one in the U.S., would likely be sold to a buyer from outside the country.

  I knew enough about American history to know that Magna Carta was the inspiration for the Declaration of Independence, and that the American colonies had generally been created with charters that guaranteed the colonists the rights of Englishmen. The colonists believed that included the Magna Carta principle of no taxation without representation.

  To ensure that at least one copy of Magna Carta stayed in the U.S., I decided to try to buy the document the next night. I succeeded, and immediately placed it on permanent loan to the National Archives, so that all visitors could see this unique charter of Western democracy.

  Subsequently, I bought other rare copies of historic documents—the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Thirteenth Amendment—and placed them on public display at places like the Smithsonian Institution, the National Constitution Center, Mount Vernon, the Library of Congress, and the National Archives. My hope was that as more visitors saw these historic documents, they would be inspired to learn about the history surrounding them.

  I had a similar perspective when I began helping to restore a number of historic monuments, memorials, and homes. That undertaking began in 2011, when I helped finance the restoration of the earthquake-damaged Washington Monument. Later, I agreed to provide the lead funding to restore or rehabilitate Monticello, Montpelier, the Arlington House at Arlington National Cemetery, the Iwo Jima Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Belmont-Paul Women’s Equality National Monument, and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the living memorial to President John F. Kennedy in Washington, D.C.

  Here too my hope was that if we made these buildings more appealing to visit, more Americans would do so. And the result might be an enhanced interest in learning more about American history.

  I called the effort to preserve historic documents and buildings “patriotic philanthropy.” By that I mean philanthropy designed to educate Americans about their history and heritage—the good and the bad.

  * * *

  Toward that end, on the spur of the moment in early 2013, I had a thought that it might be a worthwhile exercise to do a series of interviews with accomplished American historians about their books, in front of an audience principally comprising members of Congress.

  Like many ideas that seem to click from the start, the inspiration for what we called the Congressional Dialogues series was not the result of a committee report, or a strategic planning exercise, or a long-thought-out intention. It was simpler and quicker than that.

  The idea was simply to provide the members with more information about the great leaders and events in our country’s past, with the hope that, in exercising their various responsibilities, our senators and representatives would be more knowledgeable about history and what it can teach us about future challenges. I also felt that bringing the members together in a neutral, nonpartisan setting might modestly contribute toward reducing the partisan rancor that has become so commonplace in Washington. I was encouraged in this idea by Debbie Dingell, a friend who is now serving in Congress, succeeding her husband, John Dingell.

  I brought the idea to the then Librarian of Congress, the late Dr. James Billington. I believed that Jim, who had been the Librarian for nearly a quarter century (and previously a well-recognized historian and professor), would recognize the potential benefit of such a program for members of Congress.

  I also thought the Library of Congress would be a natural host for this kind of session, since its mission is to provide Congress with objective, authoritative, and nonpartisan research and analysis to help inform the legislative debate.

  I had known Jim for many years but had begun working with him more closely in 2010 when I became the principal supporter of the National Book Festival, an extraordinary event the Library organizes annually to bring together tens of thousands of book lovers of all ages with hundreds of authors. The event was inspired by then first lady Laura Bush, who asked Jim Billington, at the inaugural events for President George W. Bush, if there was a book festival in Washington similar to the Texas Book Festival she had started. He said there was not, but there would be.

  Jim organized the first National Book Festival on the Mall in 2001. I have had the privilege to be the co-chair of the festival for the past decade, and to conduct interviews with noted historians and other authors who have appeared there.

  To my delight, Dr. Billington agreed immediately that the Library would be the ideal host for the proposed congressional gatherings. And to enrich the experience, he suggested that the Library could supplement the discussions by sharing related treasures from its unmatched collections. Jim also asked that I serve as the interviewer of the invited historians, and I said that I would be honored to do so.

  The first Congressional Dialogue occurred on June 18, 2013, with Jon Meacham discussing his recently released book Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power.

  Six years later, the Era of Good Feelings has not really taken over the Capitol, but—without overstating the value of the Dialogues—a modicum of progress has been made. Thirty-eight Congressional Dialogues have now taken place. As of this writing, the interviewees have included A. Scott Berg, Taylor Branch, Robert Caro, Ron Chernow, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Walter Isaacson, David McCullough, Cokie Roberts, and Bob Woodward, among many other distinguished and award-winning authors. And there was one special interview with someone who once thought about being a historian: U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts.

  The many members who have attended have told me that in fact they have learned a great deal about American history from these events. Members have also told me that they look forward to what they see as a unique opportunity to spend time in a nonpolitical social and intellectual setting with their colleagues from across the aisle and from the other chamber (for this rarely occurs anymore). Some members have actually said that the Dialogues are the most enjoyable events on their congressional schedules.

  Jim Billington’s enthusiasm for the series continued until his term ended on September 30, 2015. He hosted and attended every single Dialogue.

  Fortunately, Jim’s support has been matched by his successor, Dr. Carla Hayden, who was appointed by President Barack Obama in 2016, after having served for twenty-three years as the director of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Baltimore (my hometown). Carla, the first woman and first African American to serve as Librarian of Congress, has also hosted and attended every Dialogue. And she has become its most ardent supporter.

  * * *

  This book is my attempt to share with readers some of the wealth of historical knowledge that members of Congress have learned over the past six years. I have selected, edited (with the help of Jennifer Howard), and introduced some of the most intriguing conversations in the series. Taken together, these interviews with some of our country’s most eminent historians give an interesting look at America over more than two hundred years.

  To be sure, this book is just a snapshot. It is not a comprehensive look at the American story. That is beyond its scope. But I hope this snapshot will whet the appetite of the reader to learn more about American history, and will make the reader feel that, at a minimum, reading the entirety of the book discussed by each author would be a worthwhile exercise.

  The American Story begins with an interview about the man who set an enduring model for future American leaders—George Washington—and moves chronologically through the lives, careers, and lessons imparted by some of the notable figures who both followed him and shaped the course of national events from the Founding Era to the late twentieth century. In these pages,
you will read about many of the pivotal moments in American history and likely learn facts you never knew about Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, Abigail Adams, Martha Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, and other leaders who changed the course of the nation. And you will also see images of original materials from the Library’s historic collections.

  I hope that the readers of this book will get a sense of the sweep of American history, as seen through the lives of some of the country’s most significant leaders. I also hope that the book will prompt the book’s readers to read not only the books discussed in the interviews, but other books relating to American history as well.

  The historian’s trade depends on asking questions and digging into primary and secondary sources in search of answers. The authors featured here typically spent five to ten years researching their books. In the Dialogues, they addressed some of the most essential questions relating to their subjects. For instance:

  Was George Washington indispensable to winning the Revolutionary War, to drafting the Constitution, and to creating the U.S. presidency as we know it today?

  How could Thomas Jefferson have written “all men are created equal…” in the Declaration of Independence when he was a lifelong slaveholder?

  How did a penniless West Indies orphan, Alexander Hamilton, manage to become such an important advisor to George Washington as well as the key creator of the American financial system?

  How did women in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, with no right to vote or to hold office, make their influence felt in public life?

  Did Lincoln issue the Emancipation Proclamation principally to help the Union win the Civil War, or did he really believe that slavery had to be ended and that the moment to end it had arrived?