Overview

A story of espionage, shadow diplomacy, foreign scheming, and domestic backstabbing in the formative years of the American republic. Tyson Reeder's book traces early America's rocky beginnings, when foreign interference and political conflict threatened to undermine its aspirations and ideals, even its very existence. Spanning the period from the Revolution to the War of 1812, and focusing particularly on the presidency of James Madison, it reveals a nation adjusting to rancorous partisan politics, aggravated by the untested and imperfect new tools of governance and the growing power of media. Foreign powers, mainly Great Britain and Napoleonic France, exploited these conditions to advance their own agendas, interfering in U.S. elections to promote the outcome they favored. Dissent and disloyalty became dangerously interdigitated, nearly bringing the new republic to the brink of collapse.No figure was more in the center of it all than James Madison. As a leading delegate at the Constitutional Convention, Republican congressional leader, secretary of state, and president, Madison grappled with foreign meddling for over three decades. At the same time, he emerged as a political leader, feeding the very partisanship that bred foreign intrigues. As chief executive, he presided over the calamitous barrage of accusations and counteraccusations of foreign collusion that culminated in the War of 1812. Madison left a mixed but indelible legacy: as a fierce adversary of foreign interference, a fiery champion of political debate, and a partisan operative who facilitated the former by inflaming the latter.Forged in partisan conflict, the United States remains vulnerable to forces that test whether the constitutional system Madison was so central in implementing can withstand outside meddling while accommodating partisan conflict. Madison's successes and failures, along with his original vision of the Constitution and party politics, illuminate the ongoing struggle between domestic polarization and foreign interference.

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9780197628591

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Reviews

"In Serpent in Eden, Tyson Reeder vividly depicts an early American republic obsessed with fears of collapse through foreign meddling. Bitterly divided, the republic's leaders often invited the very manipulation that they dreaded. Deeply researched and beautifully written, Serpent in Eden offers the best account of the interplay of diplomacy and politics in our nation's origins. That story offers a lively yet sobering reflection for our own consideration. * Alan Taylor, Author of American Republics: A Continental History of the United States, 1783-1850 * The high-stakes drama of political and international conflict crackles on every page of this thrilling, thoroughly researched, and sharply rendered book. With superb storytelling panache, Reeder reveals the Founders' fears of foreign interference on the new United States, which animated partisan politics and became self-fulfilling prophecies. By focusing on foreign intrigue in James Madison's democratic republic, Reeder gets to the heart of fundamental debates about American ideals, as well as its real vulnerabilities. * Benjamin L. Carp, Author of The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution * In Serpent in Eden, Tyson Reeder demonstrates that the United States has occupied a contentious place in the midst of a messy international community from the very beginning. European powers exploited internal partisan divisions in pursuit of their own imperial aims, while politicians welcomed foreign interference on their behalf and decried similar attempts by their opponents. Reeder offers a highly-accessible, shockingly relevant story of Early America that reminds us that while history doesn't repeat, it often rhymes. * Lindsay M. Chervinsky, Presidential historian and author of Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic * Serpent in Eden is political history at its best, with gripping stories of politics and intrigue that illuminate the shaky position of the early United States, internally divided and facing strong European empires and independent Native nations. * Kathleen Duval, Author of Native Nations: A Millenium in North America * Serpent in Eden is a delightfully written look at foreign involvement in America in the early days of the Republic. Domestic politics, diplomacy, and economics were inextricably linked from the earliest days of our country, as they remain today. The notion that ""politics ends at the water's edge"" was true of only the briefest period of our history. Students of both history and diplomacy will learn much from this engaging book. * Ronald Neumann, Former ambassador to Algeria, Bahrain, and Afghanistan * Tyson Reeder shows us that foreign meddling in American politics goes back to the founding of the republic. Featuring a colorful international cast of characters, including spies, diplomats, and politicians, with James Madison at its center, Serpent in Eden offers an important new perspective on the American founding with verve and style. * Frank Cogliano, Author of Revolutionary Friendship: Washington, Jefferson, and the American Republic * In this beautifully written book, Tyson Reeder has put his finger on a critical but overlooked aspect of America's early years of independence. He reveals the complex intrigues, traumas, and tensions inherent in securing unity for a new nation and building a state in an age of profound uncertainty, conflict, and ongoing revolution. It is a splendid addition to a dynamic field. * Patrick Griffin, University of Notre Dame * Serpent in the Garden brings to life a surprisingly neglected aspect of the United States' early history: the repeated attempts by European spies and diplomats to bend the new republic to their will. Blending the story of James Madison, the book's central figure, with a host of colorful characters, Tyson Reeder shows how foreign intrigue brought the union to the brink of collapse, culminating during the War of 1812 in the capture of the nation's capital and the burning of the White House by British soldiers. This is a book whose lessons are as relevant today as they were two hundred years ago. * Eliga Gould, Author of Among the Powers of the Earth: The American Revolution and the Making of a New World Empire *"

In Serpent in Eden, Tyson Reeder vividly depicts an early American republic obsessed with fears of collapse through foreign meddling. Bitterly divided, the republic's leaders often invited the very manipulation that they dreaded. Deeply researched and beautifully written, Serpent in Eden offers the best account of the interplay of diplomacy and politics in our nation's origins. That story offers a lively yet sobering reflection for our own consideration. * Alan Taylor, Author of American Republics: A Continental History of the United States, 1783-1850 * The high-stakes drama of political and international conflict crackles on every page of this thrilling, thoroughly researched, and sharply rendered book. With superb storytelling panache, Reeder reveals the Founders' fears of foreign interference on the new United States, which animated partisan politics and became self-fulfilling prophecies. By focusing on foreign intrigue in James Madison's democratic republic, Reeder gets to the heart of fundamental debates about American ideals, as well as its real vulnerabilities. * Benjamin L. Carp, Author of The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution * In Serpent in Eden, Tyson Reeder demonstrates that the United States has occupied a contentious place in the midst of a messy international community from the very beginning. European powers exploited internal partisan divisions in pursuit of their own imperial aims, while politicians welcomed foreign interference on their behalf and decried similar attempts by their opponents. Reeder offers a highly-accessible, shockingly relevant story of Early America that reminds us that while history doesn't repeat, it often rhymes. * Lindsay M. Chervinsky, Presidential historian and author of Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic * Serpent in Eden is political history at its best, with gripping stories of politics and intrigue that illuminate the shaky position of the early United States, internally divided and facing strong European empires and independent Native nations. * Kathleen Duval, Author of Native Nations: A Millenium in North America * Serpent in Eden is a delightfully written look at foreign involvement in America in the early days of the Republic. Domestic politics, diplomacy, and economics were inextricably linked from the earliest days of our country, as they remain today. The notion that ""politics ends at the water's edge"" was true of only the briefest period of our history. Students of both history and diplomacy will learn much from this engaging book. * Ronald Neumann, Former ambassador to Algeria, Bahrain, and Afghanistan * Tyson Reeder shows us that foreign meddling in American politics goes back to the founding of the republic. Featuring a colorful international cast of characters, including spies, diplomats, and politicians, with James Madison at its center, Serpent in Eden offers an important new perspective on the American founding with verve and style. * Frank Cogliano, Author of Revolutionary Friendship: Washington, Jefferson, and the American Republic * In this beautifully written book, Tyson Reeder has put his finger on a critical but overlooked aspect of America's early years of independence. He reveals the complex intrigues, traumas, and tensions inherent in securing unity for a new nation and building a state in an age of profound uncertainty, conflict, and ongoing revolution. It is a splendid addition to a dynamic field. * Patrick Griffin, University of Notre Dame * Serpent in the Garden brings to life a surprisingly neglected aspect of the United States' early history: the repeated attempts by European spies and diplomats to bend the new republic to their will. Blending the story of James Madison, the book's central figure, with a host of colorful characters, Tyson Reeder shows how foreign intrigue brought the union to the brink of collapse, culminating during the War of 1812 in the capture of the nation's capital and the burning of the White House by British soldiers. This is a book whose lessons are as relevant today as they were two hundred years ago. * Eliga Gould, Author of Among the Powers of the Earth: The American Revolution and the Making of a New World Empire * An excellent summary of a complex and important period that is too much overlooked by historians of American diplomacy. * Sam Negus, Law & Liberty *

Author Information

Tyson Reeder teaches history at Brigham Young University and taught previously at the University of Virginia, where he was an editor of the Papers of James Madison. He is the author of Smugglers, Pirates, and Patriots: Free Trade in the Age of Revolution (2019) and editor of the Routledge History of U.S. Foreign Relations (2021), in addition to numerous articles and book chapters.

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