WORKS IN PROGRESS

Forthcoming Books:

Mr. President: How and Why the Founders Created a Chief Executive: The framers of the Constitution, fearful of the tyrannies of monarchy, sought to create an executive office that would make government more efficient without commandeering power or oppressing citizens. How would they do this? Following the Constitutional Convention’s dynamics, Mr. President reveals how they cobbled together a lasting institution. We see the flamboyant, peg-legged hero of the story, Gouverneur Morris, using bluster and savvy to bequeath to us his vision of the presidency. We see how the presidency evolved during the first three presidential administrations. And we see a trajectory set in motion that has resulted, in our own time, in an office that is more sweeping, more powerful, and more inherently partisan than the framers ever intended. (To be published by Alfred A. Knopf on March 6, 2012)

Constitutional Myths. Americans of set political persuasions love to wave the Constitution in the air, saying, “See, just read this and you’ll learn the truth.” What truth? What did the framers really have in mind? Constitutional Myths, a companion to Founding Myths, will place the Constitution in its historical context, and that requires dispensing with many preconceived notions. Work is underway; publication in 2013.

In Congress Assembled: The Origins of a National Legislature and the Joys and Sorrows of Representational Government, 1774-1791. A companion to Mr. President, this coming book will explore the origins of Congress, starting with its evolution from the locally rooted Committees of Correspondence. Through the troubled years of the Revolutionary War, without the authority to levy taxes, Congress struggled to keep an army in the field; broke and torn by internal disputes, it nevertheless delivered a victory of sorts. After the war Congress almost imploded, often not mustering a quorum. Meeting in its stead, a special convention in 1787 devised a new structure that would prove more enduring but no less contentious. Supposedly congressmen represented the people, but how exactly would that work out? After ratification of the Constitution, in the First Federal Congress, lobbyists with special interests made it difficult to discover and promote the national good, so difficult to define in any case. In a microcosm, as we watch the evolution from grassroots democracy to a governing institution influenced by diverse interests, we encounter the full range of representational government in America, for better and for worse.

Humboldt History. Because of his focus on the nation’s origins, Raphael will not continue to write the Humboldt History series, which he and Freeman House initiated with Two Peoples, One Place. The project continues, however, with several forthcoming volumes from Jerry Rohde. The revised paperback edition of Two Peoples, One Place is now available.

History for Elementary and Middle School. The American Revolution is a featured story in elementary and middle school curricula, and how we narrate it at that initial stage is crucial. Children are better off learning that Paul Revere was a patriot in a highly organized and well prepared resistance network—and not that mythic lone rider who woke up sleepy-eyed farmers. A host of stories can introduce an empowering civic lesson, showing that history is not made solely by a select set of superior men but also by a multitude, once called “the body of the people.” Ray and his wife, Marie Raphael, middle school teacher and author of young adult novels (Streets of Gold and Boy from Ireland), plan to produce materials that appeal to this youthful audience and are valuable classroom resources.

Forthcoming Articles:

“The Democratic Moment: The Revolution and Popular Politics.” To be published in Oxford Handbook of the American Revolution late in 2012.