A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents

Project GutenbergProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.1
Word count
1.3M words
Chapters
131

Tags

English Originals Politics Historical ReappraisalPower GameCivic AwarenessPatriotismPolicy AnalysisDocumentary AnthologyDocumentary NarrativeSocial ObservationAmerican StudiesModern History

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents by James D. RichardsonAuthor: ,Language: English, Class: J: Political science, Release Date: Jun 28, 2004

Editor's review

This book is one of the free eBooks from Project Gutenberg: a compilation of U.S. presidential messages and papers, containing presidential addresses and official documents, and constituting primary source material in political science class J. Its value lies in giving readers direct access to primary texts rather than secondhand paraphrase, making it suitable for understanding the conventions and language style of U.S. presidential public expression. As an electronic edition, it is easy to search and carry, and can be used for comparative reading or fact-checking. It should be noted that the material identifies itself only as a compilation and provides no details on specific volumes or contents; readers should first browse the table of contents before deciding what to read closely. The original is in English, and nineteenth-century official document language is relatively formal, so non-native English readers should be prepared. Overall, it is more a tool-type collection of historical sources than a narrative general history, suitable for consulting with specific questions in mind or for use as a source of quotations in writing and research.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Not a good fit for

Reading tips

  1. First read the electronic table of contents, and select entries relevant to you by president or theme; there is no need to read from beginning to end.
  2. While reading, note the date and background of each document, and use a chronology of major U.S. historical events for comparison and understanding.
  3. When encountering unfamiliar official document terms, look them up in a dictionary first and then reread, so as to avoid interruption caused by language barriers.
  4. Treat the book as a source of quotations, and when excerpting, note the title and date for later verification.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45
  46. 46
  47. 47
  48. 48
  49. 49
  50. 50
  51. 51
  52. 52
  53. 53
  54. 54
  55. 55
  56. 56
  57. 57
  58. 58
  59. 59
  60. 60
  61. 61
  62. 62
  63. 63
  64. 64
  65. 65
  66. 66
  67. 67
  68. 68
  69. 69
  70. 70
  71. 71
  72. 72
  73. 73
  74. 74
  75. 75
  76. 76
  77. 77
  78. 78
  79. 79
  80. 80
  81. 81
  82. 82
  83. 83
  84. 84
  85. 85
  86. 86
  87. 87
  88. 88
  89. 89
  90. 90
  91. 91
  92. 92
  93. 93
  94. 94
  95. 95
  96. 96
  97. 97
  98. 98
  99. 99
  100. 100
  101. 101
  102. 102
  103. 103
  104. 104
  105. 105
  106. 106
  107. 107
  108. 108
  109. 109
  110. 110
  111. 111
  112. 112
  113. 113
  114. 114
  115. 115
  116. 116
  117. 117
  118. 118
  119. 119
  120. 120
  121. 121
  122. 122
  123. 123
  124. 124
  125. 125
  126. 126
  127. 127
  128. 128
  129. 129
  130. 130
  131. 131

FAQ

Is this book a complete multivolume set? The material only states that it is a compilation of presidential messages and papers edited by James D. Richardson and identifies it as a Project Gutenberg eBook; it does not give specific volumes or scope of inclusion. Readers should first check the electronic table of contents to confirm which presidents and entries the file in hand covers, and then judge whether it meets their verification needs.
Can I read this book if my English is not good? The original text is in English, and the official document language is rather formal, with many long sentences and historical terms. Readers with weak English foundations will find it difficult; it is advisable to first use a bilingual dictionary or choose books with Chinese introductions to understand the background, and then return to the original text to consult specific passages. It is not suitable as an introductory reader.
Is it suitable for reading straight through as a U.S. history textbook? Not very suitable. It is a compilation of primary documents arranged by document and lacks the narrative and background connections of a general history. It can serve as supplementary source material for a textbook under a teacher's guidance for selected reading; but to systematically understand the course of U.S. history, one should choose a general history work, and use this book for verification and supplementing original texts.
What practical advice is there for reading the electronic edition? You can use the search function of the electronic text to locate presidential names, dates, or topics by keyword, improving verification efficiency. It is also advisable to take reading notes, recording the source and main points of documents, so as not to read without recording. As it is a free eBook, version information should be based on what is marked in the file; before citing, it is best to check the entries.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Project Gutenberg Author

Project Gutenberg is not a single author but a nonprofit digital library founded by Michael Hart in 1971 and one of the world's earliest free ebook platforms. It relies on volunteers to digitize, proofread, and freely distribute public-domain works and is now operated by the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Its collection contains 2,692 works, mainly religious texts, epics, and story collections, including the King James Bible and the Douay-Rheims volumes, the epic Mahabharata, a literal translation of the Arabian Nights, and Danish editions of the Old and New Testaments. Public information is limited, and its nature is closer to a public-interest compiling and dissemination body; these texts are open to the public, easy to consult and circulate, and have had a profound influence on the spread of ebooks and the preservation of public-domain resources.