Topic: Joseph Ellis

Vietnam War: Beginning 13 years of commemorating a divisive conflict

At the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Monday, President Obama began a national commemoration of the 50-year anniversary of the Vietnam War. To Vietnam veterans he said, 'You made us proud, and you have earned your place among the greatest generations.'

Reader recommendation: First Family, Abigail and John Adams

Monitor readers share their favorite book picks.

Joseph Ellis on "First Family" and the love story of John and Abigail Adams

The likes of Abigail and John Adams will never come again, says Ellis.

Architects of Power

How Roosevelt and Eisenhower transformed the United States into a global superpower.

Classic review: American Creation

Let's be real, urges historian Joseph Ellis. America's founders were neither saints nor sinners.

Blumenthal shows why we're still fighting the Vietnam War

Decades after the Vietnam War, the question haunts many men of the baby-boom generation, including Richard Blumenthal: 'What did you do in the war?'

Lynne Cheney plans to write a bio of James Madison