A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents

Project GutenbergProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.0
Word count
571K words
Chapters
58

Tags

English Originals World HistoryPolitics Historical ArchivesPower GamePolicy AnalysisDocumentary NarrativeSocial ObservationAmerican 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: Feb 1, 2004

Editor's review

This book is a public-domain work included in the free Project Gutenberg ebook program, gathering various presidential messages and papers and serving as primary source material for political science and historical research. Its value lies not in narrative reading but in direct access to primary texts: annual messages to Congress, special proclamations, administrative documents and the like, which help readers observe how executive power was expressed and what policy concerns arose in different periods of American history. Its strength is its nature as a compilation of original documents, convenient for searching and comparing by period or topic rather than relying on secondhand summaries. It suits use as supplementary material for courses or research in American history, political science and diplomatic history, and for readers interested in presidential documents to consult selectively. Note that this is a large English public-domain compilation in formal style, not a book to read straight through; readers should enter with specific questions or a particular historical period and use it as a reference tool rather than casual reading from start to finish.

Who it's for

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Reading tips

  1. First determine the period or topic, then locate relevant presidents and documents via the contents rather than reading aimlessly
  2. Before reading a message, learn the political background of its year, then read the text to understand its wording
  3. Read documents on the same issue across different presidencies side by side to observe continuity and change in policy language
  4. Note citations and page information as you go for later writing or 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

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FAQ

Is this book meant to be read from cover to cover? Not really. It is a compilation of presidential messages and papers, lengthy and formal, lacking a continuous narrative thread. A more effective approach is to use it as a reference tool, locating pieces by historical period or specific issue and consulting and comparing with questions in mind rather than reading linearly.
What English level is needed to read it? The original is English public-domain material in the formal official style of the nineteenth century and earlier, with long sentences and stately diction. A good command of English reading and familiarity with basic American political terminology are recommended; otherwise understanding the historical context will be difficult.
What research can this book support? It can be used for primary source consultation in American history, political science and diplomatic history—for example, examining how presidents communicated with Congress, how policy concerns were phrased in particular periods, and the language style of administrative documents. It offers primary texts suitable as original evidence for argument rather than ready-made conclusions.

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

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