Suspected of Independence

March 14, 2016
McKean (Tommy the Cork), director of policy planning for the Department of State, reaches back into his family’s history to tell the story of revolutionary-era America through the eyes of a lesser-known founding father. History may have left Thomas McKean behind, but in his lifetime he was a well-known and influential politician. Born in modest circumstances in Delaware in 1734, McKean built a reputation as a lawyer by age 20—though “technically still a legal apprentice”—and at 24 he began serving in the Delaware state assembly. Such a hard-working and ambitious man would likely have done well anywhere, but the extraordinary circumstances of the 1760s and 1770s catapulted McKean into the political limelight. He joined the Stamp Act Congress of 1764, which was convened in protest against a despised parliamentary tax; served as a delegate to both Continental Congresses; became chief justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in 1777; and later served as Pennsylvania governor. McKean signed the Declaration of Independence and joined the Pennsylvania militia to fight for his new country. The author efficiently alternates between politics and military developments, keeping the cradle-to-grave biography moving briskly. As interesting as McKean’s life was, however, his descendant doesn’t quite make the case for his enduring importance. Illus.

March 1, 2016
A descendant of little-known Founding Father Thomas McKean (1734-1817) places him "in the context of his times." The director of policy planning at the Department of State and former staff director for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, David McKean (Tommy the Cork: Washington's Ultimate Insider from Roosevelt to Reagan, 2003, etc.) knows his politics and explains the difficulties encountered in uniting the widely varied states during the Colonial period. By the time Thomas McKean was 20, he had established himself as one of the hardest-working and most effective lawyers in New Castle, the capital of the lower counties of Pennsylvania. From there, the larger stage of Philadelphia called, offering culture, economics, and plenty of opportunities for an ambitious lawyer. McKean sat on every important commission of those early years, and the author praises his "pragmatism and political dexterity." Establishing Pennsylvania's new constitution led him to the radical small farmers and tradesmen in the West, who wanted to eliminate the property requirement, but McKean had no use for anyone who wasn't of the professional trades--i.e., lawyers and doctors. He felt that only upper-class citizens could effectively run the country. The list of his accomplishments is long: he was a signer of the Declaration of Independence, a three-term governor of Pennsylvania, and the president of the Continental Congress. Most important was his devotion to the rule of law. His Supreme Court in Pennsylvania was more powerful than the newly established U.S. Court. He fought to establish equity between the three arms of government and served in all three. He was a powerful man living in the right time and place. At the same time, he was arrogant, vain, and overbearing, and he is credited with the beginnings of the "spoil" system of patronage and nepotism in America. His story has been long in coming and worth the wait. For students of the Revolutionary era, the author delivers a useful biography of a significant player in the birth pangs of the new nation.

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April 1, 2016

McKean (director of policy planning, U.S. Dept. of State; coauthor, The Great Decision) presents the life of Thomas McKean (1734-1817), a critical yet less-recognized founding father who served as a lawyer, judge, soldier, and statesman during the American Revolution. Thomas McKean stands out from the other signers of the Declaration of Independence, as he also served as a soldier during the Revolutionary War and played vital roles in the formation of the political and legal foundations of Pennsylvania and Delaware. This work uncovers other essential yet oft-overlooked persons, including John Dickinson, Robert Morris, and the various factions that developed during the revolution. Chapters are short and dramatic, and the author succeeds in relating the high stakes of the uprising. As McKean's legal career began before Independence and continued through the Jefferson administration, the reader gains an appreciation of the political and judicial evolution of the new nation. VERDICT Author McKean and the historical McKean share a common name and heritage, adding a personal layer to the book. It illuminates an important personage frequently neglected in revolution-era narratives, creating a fine read for American history buffs.--Jeffrey Meyer, Mt. Pleasant P.L., IA

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