American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic (Random House Large Print (Cloth/Paper)) by Joseph J. Ellis
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Book Summary Author: Joseph J. Ellis Edition: Paperback Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published) Format: Large Print Published: 2007-10-30 ISBN: 073932618X Number of pages: 512 Publisher: Random House Large Print |
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Book Reviews of the American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic (Random House Large Print (Cloth/Paper))
Customer Review: Founding Brothers' Weaker Brother
Summary: 3 Stars
Joseph Ellis is a terrific historian and, by self-proclamation, shuns the politically correct editorializing of American history which is a very welcome change from many 21st century historians.
Like "Founding Brothers" which deservedly won many prizes, this book is a collection of "stories" about the founding of America starting from 1775 and the outbreak of war and the Declaration and ending in 1803 with the Louisiana Purchase. In between are Valley Forge, the writing of the Constitution "starring" James Madison, Washington's Indian policy and the development of political parties. Also like "Founding Brothers" Mr. Ellis includes little known facts to embellish the histories and give a fresh perspective. Particularly "new" were his accounts of Valley Forge and Washington and Knox's attempts to rewrite America's Indian policy. the former put the myth in perspective and the latter was this country's only attempt to incorporate the Indians (eventually) into America.
As good as the content was - and it was very good - I found the pacing and writing a bit plodding. Also, although Mr. Ellis eschews "hindsight" history, I found he engaged in it fairly frequently, especially regarding slavery.
There were some recurring themes through the collection, such as republicanism vs federalism, dubious limits on executive power in the Constitution and the "Spirit of '76" vs the federal sovereignty, but the stories are best taken separately as no central theme carries throughout.
This is a very good history, just not as readable as "Founding Brothers" and some other recent Revolutionary era histories (like "Washington's Crossing" and "Revolutionary Characters").