To Make Men Free

A History of the Republican Party

By: Heather Cox Richardson

Narrated by: Heather Cox Richardson

“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.

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.

Astounding

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

Fascinating read!

Heather Cox Richardson is brilliant at presenting detailed, complex, and long-form info in a way that leaves you breathless at the sheer clarity of her presentation. I consider myself a somewhat well-informed person in the area of American history and politics, but have learned far more than I ever knew I didn’t know from her. This audiobook is 15 hours, but I zoomed straight through it and wanted more.

A 10 Star Listen or Read.

The author impresses with scholarship, Depth of knowledge, and understanding of the political process. Every American who votes and of course those who don’t should read this book or listen to it. It explains so much about how the Rrepublican party has changed over the last 150 years and how dangerous that change is for for our country.