Barack Obama: American Historian

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Description

Barack Obamas politics are deeply informed by his profound knowledge and understanding of his countrys history. His articles, books, and speeches are replete with references to Americas past and how that relates to the present he sees and the future he envisions. Exploring Obamas own words, Steven Sarson examines his interpretation of American history from colonial times to the present, showing how Obama sees American history as beginning with the common creed of equality and liberty proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence and the more perfect union created by the Constitution. He analyses Obamas understanding of the colonies, revolution, and early nation, slavery and the civil war, segregation and civil rights, economy and society, Native Americans and foreign policy. An epilogue explores how Obama personifies the American dream through the stories of individuals, including his own. A unique and fascinating take on the past and how we interpret it, this book will appeal to all students and scholars of American history, as well as anyone interested in Obamas presidency.

Reviews

[A] worthy and original addition to the Obama literature. * The Journal of American History *
The analysis of his writings is well researched and is a comprehensive historical critique, which would benefit readers of all levels. Historians that are interested in President Obamas understanding of the role of the United States in the world will also benefit from reading Barack Obama: American Historian. * European Journal of American Studies *
In the course of his careful, very readable, analysis of Obamas vision of America Professor Sarson performs yet another service for history buffs. He does a fine, jargon-free, job of summarizing decades of scholarship in ways that are both accessible to lay readers and give a sense of why we historians, like President Obama, believe history matters. * Ronald Walters, Professor of History, Johns Hopkins University, USA *
In this timely and brilliant book, Steven Sarson uncovers Barack Obamas compassionate, coherent conception of his nations past: a story of a people striving for unity out of diversity, and which, through trial and tribulation has progressed. Written in lucid, engaging prose by a masterful historian with a deep understanding of both Obama and the history he tells, this book offers much-needed hope as well as understanding. It is essential reading for anyone who cares about America and is interested in why its past is so bound up with its present. * Adam Smith, Senior Lecturer in History, University College London, UK *
Through a fascinating and thoroughly researched accounting, Sarsons book gives us the American history that Barack Obama wrote and spoke about throughout his public life. That history is the foundation for the hope that Obama famously invoked with such regularity. How could Obama continue to insist on hope as a theme, given how much he knows about America's darkest past Sarson argues convincingly that Obamas American history is a key to the political history of our time. * Karin Wulf, Professor of History, College of William and Mary, USA *

Author Bio

Steven Sarson is Professor of American Civilisation at Jean Moulin University, France. He is the author of The Tobacco-Plantation South and the Early American Atlantic World (2013); British America: Creating Colonies, Imagining an Empire (2015) and numerous articles, and is the co-editor of The American Colonies and the British Empire (2011).