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Liberty's First Crisis
- Adams, Jefferson, and the Misfits Who Saved Free Speech
- Narrated by: Brian Holsopple
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
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Publisher's summary
When the United States government passed the Bill of Rights in 1791, its uncompromising protection of speech and of the press were unlike anything the world had ever seen before. But by 1798, the once-dazzling young republic of the United States was on the verge of collapse: partisanship gripped the weak federal government, British seizures threatened American goods and men on the high seas, and war with France seemed imminent as its own democratic revolution deteriorated into terror. Suddenly, the First Amendment, which protected harsh commentary of the weak government, no longer seemed as practical. So that July, President John Adams and the Federalists in control of Congress passed an extreme piece of legislation that made criticism of the government and its leaders a crime punishable by heavy fines and jail time. In Liberty's First Crisis, writer Charles Slack tells the story of the 1798 Sedition Act, the crucial moment when high ideals met real-world politics and the country's future hung in the balance.
From a loudmouth in a bar to a firebrand politician to Benjamin Franklin's own grandson, those victimized by the Sedition Act were as varied as the country's citizenry. But Americans refused to let their freedoms be so easily dismissed: they penned fiery editorials, signed petitions, and raised "liberty poles," while Vice President Thomas Jefferson and James Madison drew up the infamous Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, arguing that the Federalist government had gone one step too far. Liberty's First Crisis vividly unfolds these pivotal events in the early life of the republic, as the Founding Fathers struggled to define America off the page and preserve the freedoms they had fought so hard to create.
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Historians have long told the story of America’s birth as the triumph of Jefferson’s democratic ideals over the aristocratic intentions of Hamilton. Chernow presents an entirely different man, whose legendary ambitions were motivated not merely by self-interest but by passionate patriotism and a stubborn will to build the foundations of American prosperity and power.
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An Outstanding & Riveting Book!
- By Kevin on 03-04-05
By: Ron Chernow
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Patrick Henry
- Champion of Liberty
- By: Jon Kukla
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 17 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Born in 1736, Patrick Henry was an attorney and a planter and an outstanding orator in the movement for independence. A contemporary of Washington, Henry stood with John and Samuel Adams among the leaders of the colonial resistance to Great Britain that ultimately created the United States. The first governor of Virginia after independence, he was reelected several times. After declining to attend the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Henry opposed the Constitution, arguing that it granted too much power to the central government.
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Long awaited biography of Patrick Henry
- By GallowsJudge on 11-18-17
By: Jon Kukla
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James Madison
- A Life Reconsidered
- By: Lynne Cheney
- Narrated by: Eliza Foss
- Length: 18 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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A major new biography of the fourth US president, from New York Times best-selling author Lynne Cheney. James Madison was a true genius of the early republic, the leader who did more than any other to create the nation we know today. This majestic new biography tells his story. Outwardly reserved, Madison was the intellectual driving force behind the Constitution. His visionary political philosophy was a crucial factor behind the Constitution’s ratification, and his political savvy was of major importance in getting the new government underway.
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Great man, great ideas, muddling book
- By NDFletch on 06-13-15
By: Lynne Cheney
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John Quincy Adams
- Militant Spirit
- By: James Traub
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 25 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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John Quincy Adams was the last of his kind - a Puritan from the age of the Founders who despised party and compromise yet dedicated himself to politics and government. The son of John Adams, he was a brilliant ambassador and secretary of state, a frustrated president at a historic turning point in American politics, and a dedicated congressman who literally died in office - at the age of 80, in the House of Representatives, in the midst of an impassioned political debate.
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Best narrator of all the audio books I've listened
- By grimm79 on 12-12-17
By: James Traub
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Thomas Paine
- Enlightenment, Revolution, and the Birth of Modern Nations
- By: Craig Nelson
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
- Length: 15 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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John Adams told Thomas Jefferson that “history is to ascribe the American Revolution to Thomas Paine.” Thomas Edison called him “the equal of Washington in making American liberty possible.” He was a founder of both the United States and the French Revolution. He invented the phrase, “The United States of America.” He rose from abject poverty in working-class England to the highest levels of the era’s intellectual elite. And yet, by the end of his life, Thomas Paine was almost universally reviled.
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This man should be a household name!
- By Darlene Davis on 11-21-11
By: Craig Nelson
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A Magnificent Catastrophe
- The Tumultuous Election of 1800, America's First Presidential Campaign
- By: Edward J. Larson
- Narrated by: John Dossett
- Length: 6 hrs
- Abridged
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A Magnificent Catastrophe tells the story of the most perverse, bizarre, nail-biting, and influential election battle ever in U.S. history: America's first true presidential campaign, and a contest so important to the future of the country that Jefferson referred to it as "the second American Revolution" because the outcome resolved so much unfinished business about just what kind of government we would have. This election in many ways determined just how democratic a country we would be.
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Get this if you have to use it for a class!!!
- By Gabriel on 03-03-17
By: Edward J. Larson
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The Great Dissent
- How Oliver Wendell Holmes Changed His Mind and Changed the History of Free Speech in America
- By: Thomas Healy
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Free speech as we know it comes less from the First Amendment than from a most unexpected source: Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. A lifelong skeptic, he disdained all individual rights, including the right to express one's political views. But in 1919, it was Holmes who wrote a dissenting opinion that would become the canonical affirmation of free speech in the United States.
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How a 78 year old man can learn & change his mind
- By Jean on 09-23-13
By: Thomas Healy
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American Emperor
- Aaron Burr's Challenge to Jefferson's America
- By: David O. Stewart
- Narrated by: Andrew Garman
- Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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A spellbinding storyteller, historian David O. Stewart traces the canny and charismatic Aaron Burr from the threshold of the presidency in 1800 to his duel with Alexander Hamilton. Stewart recounts Burr’s efforts to carve out an empire, taking listeners across the American West as the renegade vice president schemes with foreign ambassadors, the U.S. general-in-chief, and future presidents.
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Aaron Burr history
- By Gerald on 01-06-13
By: David O. Stewart
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The War Before the War
- Fugitive Slaves and the Struggle for America's Soul from the Revolution to the Civil War
- By: Andrew Delbanco
- Narrated by: Ari Fliakos
- Length: 13 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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For decades after its founding, America was really two nations—one slave, one free. There were many reasons why this composite nation ultimately broke apart, but the fact that enslaved black people repeatedly risked their lives to flee their masters in the South in search of freedom in the North proved that the "united" states was actually a lie. Fugitive slaves exposed the contradiction between the myth that slavery was a benign institution and the reality that a nation based on the principle of human equality was in fact a prison-house in which millions of Americans had no rights.
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Great promise greater disappointment
- By Amazon Customer on 12-09-18
By: Andrew Delbanco
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James Madison
- By: Richard Brookhiser
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 10 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Eminent historian Richard Brookhiser presents a vivid portrait of James Madison, the “Father of the Constitution” and one of America's greatest statesmen.
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OK book but not a biography
- By Joel Mayer on 08-05-12
What listeners say about Liberty's First Crisis
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Timothy
- 06-04-15
I was shocked
I was shocked by this book. I loved this book it was so detailed on explaining a history that I did not know about before. I learned a lot about the First Amendment.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Black Knight
- 12-10-15
Exceptional!
An. excellent story very well told. Subject matter at first look might be a turnoff BUT don't take the bait as it's a FANTASTIC story. Well written with excellent narration. A must listen. After listening to this book, I purchase a hard copy for my personal library.
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- Toma Gill
- 07-17-24
Oughta be required reading for all Americans
To-the-point, even-keeled, well-paced, aptly-performed...but above all EYE-opening, often JAW-dropping, sometimes SPINE-chilling. This ain't some minor blip in the historical record (as it was covered in passing to me in AP US History). It has echoes, lessons and ramifications straight down to the present day.
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- William C Cady
- 09-13-19
Free Speech
This book show who saved free speech and showed how corrupted some might be and shine a light on this country for the good of all.
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1 person found this helpful
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- William A. Swenson
- 11-21-19
important historical lessons learned here
Not difficult nor boring, but not as invigorating as some history books. important lessons, many founding fathers hated each other, fear the mighty power of government (govt can destroy you with little effort if it wants to), in other words, fear tyranny, not every one really wants free speech, John Adam's could be a real jerk. I recommend this book.
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- James
- 08-09-21
Important Read
Free Speech is vital and the story of the Sedition Act reminds us how easily it can be lost. I hope Americans of all persuasions will give it a careful listen.
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- Flyboy51
- 08-25-21
"The more things change...
...the more they stay the same." This excellent history of the Alien and Sedition Acts is the story of the first major attempt of Americans in power to shut-up other Americans who weren't--something we never seem to get tired of doing. It's also an excellent history-based argument for why we should resist the temptation to undermine American First Amendment-style free speech in favor of more recent European models of "enlightened" controls on expression. Well done, Mr. Slack!
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- Douglas
- 01-07-17
Marvelous Book....
well written, engaging and well researched, this is a book that will show you that the more things change, the more things stay the same. The same issues we face today, race, the economy, immigrants and freedom of speech, have been the bugbears of the American government from its inception. This is a fine account of the political struggles of the time.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Jerry
- 05-06-17
Very interesting
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Absolutely! This is they type of book that should be taught in law classes. The history lesson is invaluable.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The entire story is a fascinating look into how this country was formed and a discussion as to the first amendment to the constitution. It also shows how little has changed in 200 years.
Any additional comments?
A great read! The information helped me see history in a new light!
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1 person found this helpful