Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation
by: Joseph J. Ellis
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Amazon.com Review:
In retrospect, it seems as if the American Revolution wasinevitable. But was it? In Founding Brothers, Joseph J.Ellis reveals that many of those truths we hold to be self-evidentwere 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 capitalwas determined--in exchange for support of Hamilton's financial plan;Washington's precedent-setting Farewell Address; and the Hamilton andBurr duel. Most interesting, perhaps, is the debate (still dividingscholars today) over the meaning of the Revolution. In afascinating chapter on the renewed friendship between John Adams andThomas Jefferson at the end of their lives, Ellis points out thefundamental differences between the Republicans, who saw theRevolution as a liberating act and hold the Declaration ofIndependence most sacred, and the Federalists, who saw the revolutionas a step in the building of American nationhood and hold theConstitution most dear. Throughout the text, Ellis explains thepersonal, face-to-face nature of early American politics--and notesthat the members of the revolutionary generation were conscious of thefact that they were establishing precedents on which futuregenerations would rely.
In Founding Brothers, Ellis (whose American Sphinx wonthe National Book Award for nonfiction in 1997) has written an elegantand engaging narrative, sure to become a classic. Highly recommended.--Sunny Delaney
Product Description:
In this landmark work of history, the National Book Award—winning author of American Sphinx explores how a group of greatly gifted but deeply flawed individuals–Hamilton, Burr, Jefferson, Franklin, Washington, Adams, and Madison–confronted the overwhelming challenges before them to set the course for our nation.
The United States was more a fragile hope than a reality in 1790. During the decade that followed, the Founding Fathers–re-examined here as Founding Brothers–combined the ideals of the Declaration of Independence with the content of the Constitution to create the practical workings of our government. Through an analysis of six fascinating episodes–Hamilton and Burr’s deadly duel, Washington’s precedent-setting Farewell Address, Adams’ administration and political partnership with his wife, the debate about where to place the capital, Franklin’s attempt to force Congress to confront the issue of slavery and Madison’s attempts to block him, and Jefferson and Adams’ famous correspondence–Founding Brothers brings to life the vital issues and personalities from the most important decade in our nation’s history.
In retrospect, it seems as if the American Revolution wasinevitable. But was it? In Founding Brothers, Joseph J.Ellis reveals that many of those truths we hold to be self-evidentwere 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 capitalwas determined--in exchange for support of Hamilton's financial plan;Washington's precedent-setting Farewell Address; and the Hamilton andBurr duel. Most interesting, perhaps, is the debate (still dividingscholars today) over the meaning of the Revolution. In afascinating chapter on the renewed friendship between John Adams andThomas Jefferson at the end of their lives, Ellis points out thefundamental differences between the Republicans, who saw theRevolution as a liberating act and hold the Declaration ofIndependence most sacred, and the Federalists, who saw the revolutionas a step in the building of American nationhood and hold theConstitution most dear. Throughout the text, Ellis explains thepersonal, face-to-face nature of early American politics--and notesthat the members of the revolutionary generation were conscious of thefact that they were establishing precedents on which futuregenerations would rely.
In Founding Brothers, Ellis (whose American Sphinx wonthe National Book Award for nonfiction in 1997) has written an elegantand engaging narrative, sure to become a classic. Highly recommended.--Sunny Delaney
Product Description:
In this landmark work of history, the National Book Award—winning author of American Sphinx explores how a group of greatly gifted but deeply flawed individuals–Hamilton, Burr, Jefferson, Franklin, Washington, Adams, and Madison–confronted the overwhelming challenges before them to set the course for our nation.
The United States was more a fragile hope than a reality in 1790. During the decade that followed, the Founding Fathers–re-examined here as Founding Brothers–combined the ideals of the Declaration of Independence with the content of the Constitution to create the practical workings of our government. Through an analysis of six fascinating episodes–Hamilton and Burr’s deadly duel, Washington’s precedent-setting Farewell Address, Adams’ administration and political partnership with his wife, the debate about where to place the capital, Franklin’s attempt to force Congress to confront the issue of slavery and Madison’s attempts to block him, and Jefferson and Adams’ famous correspondence–Founding Brothers brings to life the vital issues and personalities from the most important decade in our nation’s history.
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: 
- Sibling Rivalry
It looked a lot prettier in those Gilbert Stuart and John Trumbull paintings. If there's an overall theme to Joseph Ellis's 2000 book "Founding Brothers", it's that the United States was tempered as much by internal conflict as by war with Great Britain.
Ellis's approach deals with the aftermath of the American Revolution, post-Constitution, in six drawn-out narratives exploring various facets of the often-feuding Founding Fathers had. He begins with the most famous and deadly of them, ... Read More
Rating: 
- Really there was no syllabus to follow!
Joseph Ellis has written another book which is completely different than all his other historical efforts.He has taken a rather different look at America in its infancy.
In this effort, Ellis focus is on a half a dozen political personages.The six people in this study are John Adams, George Washington, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr.
This rather eclectic group helped to form the precedents and the very foundation of our government.
Read More
Rating: - GLAD I FOUND THESE BROTHERS
I followed McCullough's 1776 andJohn Adams to Joseph Ellis' remarkable compilation of stories centered around the exploits of Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Burr, Hamilton and Madison.The political intrigue, posturing, and backstabbing that takes place in these stories is rendered more fascinating in that it takes place in the shadow of America's newly won independence.The traits displayed in these stories complimentthe sheer genius of these men, and leave the reader with multidimensional founding ... Read More
Rating: - it seemed like a good idea at the time
There is a great tendency to deify the "founding fathers" these days.As if by invoking the phrase "founding fathers", you can gain their approval.Founding Brothers explains very well that the American Revolution didn't happen for us.It happened because the folks who carried it out did it for themselves.Their biggest motivation was the idea that they could get away with it.After that they had to make up the rest as they went along. It was ok:the rewards for succeeding would be the Northwest Territories. ... Read More
Rating: - They all hung together, more or less
I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of tales about a number of the founding fathers, and their relations with each other. The opening vignette has to do with the Burr- Hamilton duel and in the course of this Ellis tells the personal history of each of the protagonists. I learned more about Burr than I learned in grade school or for that matter graduate- school , and this grandson of Jonathan Edwards was revealed to be a far more competent and two- faced politician than even the traditional stereotype of him as traitor, ... Read More
- Sibling RivalryIt looked a lot prettier in those Gilbert Stuart and John Trumbull paintings. If there's an overall theme to Joseph Ellis's 2000 book "Founding Brothers", it's that the United States was tempered as much by internal conflict as by war with Great Britain.
Ellis's approach deals with the aftermath of the American Revolution, post-Constitution, in six drawn-out narratives exploring various facets of the often-feuding Founding Fathers had. He begins with the most famous and deadly of them, ... Read More
- Really there was no syllabus to follow!Joseph Ellis has written another book which is completely different than all his other historical efforts.He has taken a rather different look at America in its infancy.
In this effort, Ellis focus is on a half a dozen political personages.The six people in this study are John Adams, George Washington, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr.
This rather eclectic group helped to form the precedents and the very foundation of our government.
Read More
- GLAD I FOUND THESE BROTHERSI followed McCullough's 1776 andJohn Adams to Joseph Ellis' remarkable compilation of stories centered around the exploits of Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Burr, Hamilton and Madison.The political intrigue, posturing, and backstabbing that takes place in these stories is rendered more fascinating in that it takes place in the shadow of America's newly won independence.The traits displayed in these stories complimentthe sheer genius of these men, and leave the reader with multidimensional founding ... Read More
- it seemed like a good idea at the timeThere is a great tendency to deify the "founding fathers" these days.As if by invoking the phrase "founding fathers", you can gain their approval.Founding Brothers explains very well that the American Revolution didn't happen for us.It happened because the folks who carried it out did it for themselves.Their biggest motivation was the idea that they could get away with it.After that they had to make up the rest as they went along. It was ok:the rewards for succeeding would be the Northwest Territories. ... Read More
- They all hung together, more or less I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of tales about a number of the founding fathers, and their relations with each other. The opening vignette has to do with the Burr- Hamilton duel and in the course of this Ellis tells the personal history of each of the protagonists. I learned more about Burr than I learned in grade school or for that matter graduate- school , and this grandson of Jonathan Edwards was revealed to be a far more competent and two- faced politician than even the traditional stereotype of him as traitor, ... Read More
