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Loading... Founding Brothersby Joseph J. Ellis
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. Humanises some of the Founding Fathers, by giving us a look into their personalities, through a series of vignettes. The story of the Burr-Hamilton duel is drained of suspense, but is well-explained, both in the moment and in context. (  ) argyriou | Sep 27, 2009 |  This was a very interesting book about seven of the leading figures of the Revolutionary Era (John Adams, Aaron Burr, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington.) The book consisted of six chapters, each chapter telling a different Revolutionary tale. As Americans, we have been told a much romanticized version of the American Revolution. Some of our founding fathers have been portrayed as near saints, while others have been marginalized and almost ignored. I believe that in truth the Revolution was much more chaotic and messy than often depicted. Also many of the less well-known founders played much more crucial roles than the romantic version would have us believe. This book does a good job of filling in some of the gaps in our knowledge of the founders and the decisive role that each played at such a consequential time in our nation's history. (  )1  cranmergirl | Jun 20, 2009 | Masterfully written. Ellis' tale of the relationships between the founding fathers adds depth to the already documented history of them. I especially enjoyed the relationship between Adams and Jefferson. (  ) cweller | Jun 5, 2009 | Interesting ( ) Harrod | Nov 29, 2008 | Ellis brings to light little-known facts about the relationships between Hamilton, Burr, Washington, Adams (John and Abigail), Jefferson, and Madison: their political leadership, blunders, rivalries, and love/hate relationships. Interestingly written stories of how the fate of the republic was determined, political leadership styles, the foreign policy leading to isolationism, the importance of character to greatness, and the silence behind the slavery question in the 18th and 19th centuries. ---CKL PeskyLibrary | Nov 28, 2008 | 
Amazon.com Amazon.com's Best of 2001 (ISBN 0375705244, Paperback)In retrospect, it seems as if the American Revolution was inevitable. But was it? In Founding Brothers, Joseph J. Ellis reveals that many of those truths we hold to be self-evident were actually fiercely contested in the early days of the republic.Ellis focuses on six crucial moments in the life of the new nation, including a secret dinner at which the seat of the nation's capital was determined--in exchange for support of Hamilton's financial plan; Washington's precedent-setting Farewell Address; and the Hamilton and Burr duel. Most interesting, perhaps, is the debate (still dividing scholars today) over the meaning of the Revolution. In a fascinating chapter on the renewed friendship between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson at the end of their lives, Ellis points out the fundamental differences between the Republicans, who saw the Revolution as a liberating act and hold the Declaration of Independence most sacred, and the Federalists, who saw the revolution as a step in the building of American nationhood and hold the Constitution most dear. Throughout the text, Ellis explains the personal, face-to-face nature of early American politics--and notes that the members of the revolutionary generation were conscious of the fact that they were establishing precedents on which future generations would rely. In Founding Brothers, Ellis (whose American Sphinx won the National Book Award for nonfiction in 1997) has written an elegant and engaging narrative, sure to become a classic. Highly recommended. --Sunny Delaney (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:24 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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