This book is nearly the final entry in the American Presidents series because, like William Howard Taft, I write best under tight deadlines. After receiving the assignment years ago, I procrastinated, in the Taftian spirit, until finally imposing a six-month deadline on myself and completing the manuscript with pleasure in a concentrated sprint.
I learned the creative satisfaction of writing short books on bracing deadlines from Paul Golob, the superb editorial director of the American Presidents series, who had played the role of kindly taskmaster and deadline enforcer when we worked together on a Supreme Court book a decade ago; working with him again was sheer delight. My friend Sean Wilentz, general editor of the series, completed this editorial dream team: learning from one of America’s greatest historians and public intellectuals—who helped me better understand the differences between progressivism and populism and who resisted my Taftian efforts to reduce Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson to the populist demagoguery they displayed in 1912—was a unique privilege.
I’m especially grateful to Lana Ulrich, in-house counsel at the National Constitution Center, where, in addition to her legal duties, she supervises the constitutional prep team. Lana’s comprehensive, accurate, and detailed background memos helped me organize the primary sources into a condensed narrative, and her expert review of the footnotes and manuscript allowed us both to meet our deadlines. It’s wonderful to have such a talented and engaged collaborator.
I was also fortunate to have a distinguished group of readers, whose comments and corrections greatly improved the manuscript and saved me from errors of fact and interpretation: Michael Gerhardt, Judge Douglas Ginsburg, George Liebmann, Jonathan Lurie, John Malcolm, Paula Marett, Hank Meijer, and Robert Post. Thanks to all of them for their intellectual generosity in sharing their time, insights, and deep knowledge of American constitutional law and history.
As I wrote this book, my beloved sons, Hugo and Sebastian Rosen, came into their own as enthusiastic readers. Their engagement with books is a joy to behold, and I learn so much from our debates and conversations. I’m so lucky that my adored parents, sister, and brother-in-law, Sidney and Estelle Rosen, Joanna Rosen, and Neal Katyal, offer love and wisdom every day.
I met my wife, Lauren Coyle Rosen, while beginning this book in January 2017. We fell in love at first sight and were engaged in June as the manuscript was completed. The wonder and gratitude I feel for her brilliance and creativity are ineffable. From her unrivaled ability to explain the most complicated philosophical concepts to her pathbreaking work in anthropology and law, she has inspired a mutual commitment to using our shared moments of leisure to cultivate our minds and spirits. It is a joy to learn with her every day and to bask in her radiant light. The six months devoted to writing this short volume will always have special meaning to both of us as the bookends to our blessed courtship.