Indivisible: Daniel Webster and the Birth of American Nationalism

{ "name": "Indivisible: Daniel Webster and the Birth of American Nationalism - Joel Richard Paul", "description": "At the start of our republic, America was an idea, not a reality. We were \nmany peoples, not one. Americans identified as citizens of their states and \nhad little in common with people from other states. It took decades for an \nAmerican identity to emerge from two competing visions of American \nnationalism.\n\nNew Hampshire native son Daniel Webster challenged Andrew Jackson\u2019s \npopulist idea that only white Christians could be American. Webster argued \nthat the Constitution defines all of us as Americans, regardless of race, \nfaith, or ethnicity. Professor Paul shows how Webster\u2019s pluralist idea of \nconstitutional nationalism triumphed and came to define what it means to be \nan American.\n\nJoel Richard Paul is the Alfred and Hanna Fromm Emeritus Professor at the \nUniversity of California College of the Law, San Francisco, where he teaches \nconstitutional and international economic law. He has also taught on the law \nfaculties of the University of California, Berkeley; Yale University; the \nUniversity of Connecticut; Leiden University in the Netherlands; and American \nUniversity.\n\nHis most recent books include Indivisible: \/Daniel Webster and the Birth of \nAmerican Nationalism\/; \/Without Precedent: Chief Justice John Marshall and \nHis Times\/; and \/Unlikely Allies: How a Merchant, a Playwright, and a Spy \nSaved the American Revolution\/ (all published by Penguin\/Riverhead). Unlikely \nAllies was named one of the best books of 2009 by The Washington Post and was \nrecently adapted by the author into a stage play. His books and articles have \nbeen appeared in French, Japanese, Chinese, and Spanish.\n\nProfessor Paul was educated at Amherst College, the London School of \nEconomics, Harvard Law School, and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. \nHe lives outside San Francisco.\n\nBooks may be purchased in advance online or at your local bookseller. Book \nsigning with the author to follow.\n\u00a0\n\n\/This event is free and open to the public - No advance registration \nrequired.\/\n\n", "startDate": "2026-04-08", "startTime": "18:00", "endDate": "2026-04-08", "endTime": "19:30", "label": "Add to Calendar", "options": [ "Apple", "Google", "iCal", "Microsoft365", "MicrosoftTeams", "Outlook.com", "Yahoo" ], "timeZone": "America\/New_York", "trigger": "click", "listStyle": "modal", "iCalFileName": "anselm-event-27321", "location": "New Hampshire Institute of Politics" }

Indivisible: Daniel Webster and the Birth of American Nationalism - Joel Richard Paul

In Person

April 8, 2026

6:00 pm EDT - 7:30 pm EDT

Location: New Hampshire Institute of Politics

At the start of our republic, America was an idea, not a reality. We were many peoples, not one. Americans identified as citizens of their states and had little in common with people from other states. It took decades for an American identity to emerge from two competing visions of American nationalism.

New Hampshire native son Daniel Webster challenged Andrew Jackson’s populist idea that only white Christians could be American. Webster argued that the Constitution defines all of us as Americans, regardless of race, faith, or ethnicity. Professor Paul shows how Webster’s pluralist idea of constitutional nationalism triumphed and came to define what it means to be an American.

Joel Richard Paul is the Alfred and Hanna Fromm Emeritus Professor at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, where he teaches constitutional and international economic law. He has also taught on the law faculties of the University of California, Berkeley; Yale University; the University of Connecticut; Leiden University in the Netherlands; and American University.

His most recent books include Indivisible: Daniel Webster and the Birth of American Nationalism; Without Precedent: Chief Justice John Marshall and His Times; and Unlikely Allies: How a Merchant, a Playwright, and a Spy Saved the American Revolution (all published by Penguin/Riverhead). Unlikely Allies was named one of the best books of 2009 by The Washington Post and was recently adapted by the author into a stage play. His books and articles have been appeared in French, Japanese, Chinese, and Spanish.

Professor Paul was educated at Amherst College, the London School of Economics, Harvard Law School, and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He lives outside San Francisco.

Books may be purchased in advance online or at your local bookseller. Book signing with the author to follow.

This event is free and open to the public - No advance registration required.