“Twenty thousand people were driven from their homes. The country was depopulated in a matter of weeks, as Union cavalry helped themselves to whatever of value was left behind, then put a torch to buildings and crops.”

In the first chapter, the author examines Truman’s ancestors who relocated to western Missouri before the Civil War. He points out many hardships that frontier life featured, such as a difficult climate, as well as the horrors of war. His purpose is to not only understand where the future president came from but also to underscore the relatively humble life of the Truman family. These passages highlight the unlikely and nearly miraculous rise of Truman to the highest office in the country. McCullough also periodically focuses on social history to provide additional context.

“Where Harry and his father found common ground was in the sociability and excitement of politics. Among the happiest of all Harry’s boyhood memories would be the big Democratic picnics every August at Lone Jack.”

McCullough describes the young Truman as his mother’s favorite, whereas his sister was his father’s. However, from a young age, Truman and his father got along on the subject of politics. It was he who introduced the future president to the Democratic Party. These moments were formative of his upbringing and outlook.

“Politics sure is the ruination of many a good man. Between hot air and graft he usually loses not only his head but his money and friends as well. Still, if I were real rich I’d just as soon spend my money buying votes and offices as yachts and autos. Success seems to me to be merely a point of view anyway. Some men have an idea that if they corner all the loose change they are self-made successful men.”

Writing to his future wife Bess in 1913, Truman expressed his view of the drawbacks of politics despite his interest in that field. The letter was written when he worked on a farm after his father’s poor financial decisions. He was conscious of not having much money. However, he was aware of the limits of using wealth as a measure of success.