About the Book
In this eye-opening account, Eli Merritt reveals the deep political divisions that almost tore the Union apart during the American Revolution. So fractious were the Founders’ political fights that they feared the War of Independence might end in disunion and civil war.
Instead of disbanding into separate regional confederacies, the Founders managed to unite for the sake of liberty and self-preservation. In so doing, they succeeded in holding the young nation together. To achieve this, they forged grueling compromises, including the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the Mississippi-Fisheries Compromise of 1779, and the ratification of the Articles of Confederation in 1781.
In addition to bringing new insights into the history of the American Revolution, Disunion Among Ourselves has inevitable resonances with our present era of political hyperpolarization and serves as a touchstone for contemporary politics, reminding us that the Founders overcame far tougher times than our own through a commitment to ethical constitutional democracy and compromise.
About the Author
Eli Merritt is a political historian and professor at Vanderbilt University. He has written for numerous news outlets such as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and the Chicago Tribune. Merritt currently writes a newsletter called American Commonwealth on Substack whose purpose is dialogue and deep learning about democracy and its dysfunctions. Throughout the last 10 years, he has published four books, including The Curse of Demagogues: Lessons Learned from the Presidency of Donald J. Trump (Bull Mouse Publishing, 2022) and his latest book Disunion Among Ourselves: The Perilous Politics of the American Revolution (University of Missouri, 2023). Merritt received his M.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and his Postgraduate degree from Stanford University.