Political Science Professor Publishes New Book

Dr. Stephen Rockwell pens an in-depth look at the presidencies of Adams, Grant and Taft

St. Joseph’s University, New York’s Stephen Rockwell, Ph.D., professor of political science, this fall published his latest book: “The Presidency and the American State: Leadership and Decision Making in the Adams, Grant, and Taft Administrations.”

Published in October by the University of Virginia Press, the book was 13 years in the making, with Dr. Rockwell beginning the research phase shortly after publishing his previous book.

“The book challenges interpretations of the presidency that see most 19th-century presidents as weak and clerk-like, dominated by Congress, the courts and political parties,” explained Dr. Rockwell, a professor at SJNY’s Long Island Campus for 17 years.

Dr. Rockwell examines just how influential and independent John Quincy Adams, Ulysses S. Grant and William Howard Taft were.

“Study of American political and state development has revealed extensive national governance in the 19th century on issues like westward expansion, land policy, economic regulation and social programs,” Dr. Rockwell said. “I wanted to see how incorporating this new body of knowledge might affect traditional understandings of American institutions like the presidency.”

One of the biggest aspects Dr. Rockwell wants his readers to take away from his latest book is, overall, the presidency hasn’t changed much since George Washington’s administration.

“When we examine the key issues of the 19th century, such as slavery, westward expansion, Native American affairs, and trade regulation, we see presidents promoting legislation, leading administrative agencies, fighting wars, using public communication and deploying executive action tools like executive orders,” he explained. “Many scholars have seen these techniques as characteristic only of a ‘modern’ presidency, but early presidents behaved in strikingly similar ways.”