To Make Men Free

A History of the Republican Party

By: Heather Cox Richardson

Narrated by: Heather Cox Richardson

Length: 15 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

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

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

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

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

©2014 Heather Cox Richardson (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved. © 2021 afterword by Heather Cox Richardson.

Critic reviews

“A readable and provocative account of the many paths that Republicans have taken to their current state of confusion.” (New York Times Book Review)

“The book offers a lively survey of Republican politics in all its diversity, from the ‘transformational presidency' of Abraham Lincoln (to borrow a 21st-century term) to the conservative ascendancy of Ronald Reagan.” (Washington Post)

“The most comprehensive account of the GOP and its competing impulses...an important contribution to understanding where we are today.” (Los Angeles Times)

Fantastic Presentation!

Richardson’s recounting of the Republican odyssey is astoundingly well-researched, written and narrated. Her work is a gift to all of us.

Astounding

Once again, Heather Cox Richardson tells a complete story of great importance! The information was breathtaking.

Absolutely brilliant

I’m hard-pressed to recall a more densely packed history book than this, with greater insights. In the same spirit as Barbara Tuchman, perhaps. Edge-of-your-seat storytelling and a smooth performance that doesn’t interfere with the “are you KIDDING me?!” effect of the words themselves. You don’t want to miss this one, you’ll re-listen repeatedly.

Fresh and thought provoking

This author never fail# to make me think. At 71, I still love to learn and there are so many insights this young woman brings to the table. This book should be required reading for all university students. But the rest of us would do well to listen and think about this author’s thoughts as well. I could not recommend this book more highly.

The Author holds our hand along every step!

In my desire to understand the nature of our present times from the elements of our history I can find no better guidebook.

Not to be missed!

An amazing, detailed overview of American government and the political landscape. Far exceeds anything else I have read.

free

loved it!
loved her performance
sad what has happened to the republican party
hope for the future we have less extreme leaders arise

Excellent

Heather Cox Richardson helped me transform from a low information, sad Trump supporter into an informed, hopeful Democracy supporter. Her work has helped me become an enthusiast of American History. To Make Men Free is well written and very interesting. I wish I had a history teacher like Cox-Richardson when I was in college. Perhaps, then, I would not have been fooled by the Movement Conservatives in the early 90s.

Great, Great Author. Thank you HCR!!

This author is amazing. Thank you Heather Cox Richardson.

Also read How the South Won the Civil War

An insightful look at a political party

Political parties are not the same across time. Policies change and so does leadership. Dr. Heather Cox Richardson dissects the Republican party, beginning with events that led to the formation of the party up through 2021 (via an addendum added then). The discussion of inner-party factions and methods used to gain political power is fascinating. A must-read to learn about party politics, and how methodologies changed with new communication technologies, and the use and abuse of them in order to gain power.