The History of the United States of America 1801–1817
9-volume book by Henry Adams, 1889–1891
The History of the United States of America, 1801–1817, also known as The History of the United States of America During the Administrations of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, is a nine-volume history written by American intellectual Henry Adams. It was first published between 1889 and 1891. The entire work has been reprinted many times, most often in a two-volume format. Historian Garry Wills described it as "the greatest prose masterpiece of non-fiction in America in the 19th century." The critic and poet Dan Chiasson also praised the book's singular reputation, writing in The New Yorker, "To many, it is the greatest work of history written by an American."
The first six chapters of the first volume have also been published separately as America in 1800.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “The History of the United States of America 1801–1817” is 9-volume book by Henry Adams, 1889–1891. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through History, United and States, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “9-volume book by Henry Adams, 1889–1891” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 8, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7739828. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1801, 1817, 1889 and 1891.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
- Identifying works and editions
- Tracing reception history
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The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “The History of the United States of America 1801–1817”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow The History of the United States of America 1801–1817 primary sources, The History of the United States of America 1801–1817 archive and History research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “The History of the United States of America 1801–1817”?
- Where is authorship, date or provenance documented?
- Which edition, object, performance or recording is being described?
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This entry incorporates text from “The History of the United States of America 1801–1817” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.