Book Tour: Washington, D.C., Boston, Philadelphia, Princeton, Nashville

"Disunion Among Ourselves: The Perilous Politics of the American Revolution" is now available for purchase online. It will appear in stores on June 4.

Dear Readers,

I am getting excited for my upcoming book tour. As far as I know, all the venues are open to the public. So, if you happen to be nearby, please consider attending. It would be a pleasure to see you.

For sure, the two small books I published over the past year were mere warm-ups for my 350-page history book, Disunion Among Ourselves: The Perilous Politics of the American Revolution. It is available now online and will appear in bookstores on June 4, one month before the Fourth of July.

My publisher, the University of Missouri Press, and I set formal publication one month before this anniversary date specifically because the book tells a new story about the origins of the Declaration of Independence.

I describe the high-pressure, perilous early days of July that launched the nation as a “shotgun wedding.” That is, the colonies were hardly united. At least of third of them, South Carolina and most of the Middle colonies, went along with great reluctance. So reluctant were they, Thomas Jefferson wrote, that some delegates to the Continental Congress issued a threat of disunion. They would secede from the Union, they said, if the other colonies did not honor their wishes—and their sovereignty.

Those obstructing colonies finally gave in to the Declaration of Independence only because, had they not, they probably would have fallen into civil wars with diehard pro-independence colonies like Virginia and the New England bloc, who by that time refused to wait any longer.

These same forces of disunion and feared domestic civil wars acted on the founders in their decision to do nothing about the unfathomable crime of slavery. It was a grievous devil’s bargain. The book tells this story as well.

Although “Disunion Among Ourselves” reveals painful truths about the founding era of the United States, I plan to use the book as a platform for healing.

To assist me in this mission, buy the book early:

Below please find the contours of my book tour so far. By mid-week I will send an update with full details for each event.

In the meantime, if you are in Nashville, please sign up for my conversation with Nick Zeppos, Professor of Law and Chancellor Emeritus of Vanderbilt.

If you are not from Nashville, consider taking this opportunity to visit our fine city. Nashville is, after all, the “It City”—in spite of our recent difficulties on the floor of the Tennessee House of Representatives.

Sign up for my conversation with Nick Zeppos, Professor of Law and Chancellor Emeritus of Vanderbilt, in Nashville at Parnassus Books on June 15 at 6:30 PM.

Book Tour Information: Register to Attend In-Person or Remotely By Zoom

American Revolution Institute, Washington, D.C., Weds., June 7, 6:30 pm ET: 2118 Massachusetts Ave NW. Register for in-person here. Register for Zoom here.

Revolutionary Spaces, Boston, MA, Friday, June 9, 5:30 pm ET: Old South Meeting House, 310 Washington St. Register for in-person here.

Hyde Park Library, Hyde Park, MA, Sat., June 10, 11 am ET: 35 Harvard Ave. Register for in-person here.

Concord Museum, Concord, MA, Sat., June 10, 3 pm ET: 53 Cambridge Turnpike. Register for in-person and Zoom here.

(con't below)

Fort Mifflin, Philadelphia, PA, Sunday, June 11, 7 pm ET (doors open at 6 pm): 6400 Hog Island Road. Register for in-person here.

Sons of the American Revolution, Princeton, NJ, Monday, June 12, 7 pm ET: 2688 Main Street. Register for in-person here.

Philadelphia Athenaeum, Philadelphia, PA, Tues., June 13, 1 pm ET: 219 S. 6th Street. Register for in-person here.

Parnassus Books, Nashville, TN, Thurs., June 15, 6:30 pm CT: 3900 Hillsboro Pike. In conversation with Nick Zeppos. Register for in-person here.

Deep history humbles us, heals us, and matures us. This is one message I will be carrying out on my book tour and in the articles I will be writing over the next month or two.

Thanks for your support.