American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic by Joseph J. Ellis
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Book Reviews of American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic
Book Review: The formation of an almost perfect union
Summary: 4 Stars
In the Forward, Mr. Ellis relates a question he was asked: why do we have to choose between Bush and Kerry when 200 years ago they could choose from Adams and Jefferson? I love that question because it captures very well the feeling today that we're faced with less than perfect choices whereas the men who founded this nation are regarded essentially as "demigods." And while Ellis acknowledges his admiration and awe at what the Founding Fathers accomplished, he also realizes that they were just as human as we are today; imperfect and succeptible to failings, but who nonetheless arose to the occasion and created something truly great.
And this is an approach to history that I appreciate - neither idolizing nor condemning. Chapter 1 covers many of the contributions John Adams made to the revolution and the Declaration of Independence. Chapter 2 covers the strategy Washington was forced to take in fighting a far superior enemy, and the difficulties his army faced at Valley Forge. Chapter 3 discusses James Madison's contributions to the Constitution. Chapter 4 tells of Washington's attempts at a treaty with the Indians. Chapter 5 returns to Madison and Jefferson and the beginnings of a two-party political system. And chapter 6 talks about Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase, and how it played into the practice of slavery and doomed the nation to eventual civil war.
Mostly a very entertaining book, although a few parts drag occasionally. The main theme of the chapters/essays is that the founding of the nation was an "evolutionary revolution" which happened over about 25 years. The men who accomplished this were not perfect, often obsessed with their legacy and jealous of each other, but nonetheless created a form of government unlike no other. Their failures were in not dealing fairly with the Indians or resolving the issue of slavery. In the end, our seemingly less-than-ideal choices today probably aren't very different than those 200 years ago, except that the situation has changed.
Book Review: Sweet Sounds of Irony
Summary: 4 Stars
The real triumph of Professor Ellis's new work is the close examination of key moments from the Nation's founding period in such a neat, succinct book.
While much of the material has been repackaged from other works, especially the prologue about the evolving process of the American Revolution, (see Gordon Wood's Revolutionary Characters, Jay Winik's The Great Upheaval among many others) other segments are more nuanced. The section about Valley Forge and its profound effect in shaping Washington's vision for a strong federal government and his support of an improbable Constitution is insightful. Additionally, the author provides compelling explanations for Madison's shift from staunch Federalist to resolute Republican. Another highlight is the section on the Louisiana Purchase in which Ellis reconciles Jefferson's grossly unconstitutional act of executive authority and his seemingly incompatible notions about a weak federal government.
In fact, a more accurate subtitle for this book might be Ironies of the Early American Republic. The triumph and tragedy theme seems forced and reminiscent of an unsuccessful bid for victory in the high school History Fair. Ellis focuses on Indian policy and slavery as the tragic acts of the Founders. While the Louisiana Purchase clearly established American economic dominance, but perpetuated slavery and Indian persecution, it is less useful to analyze the other events discussed in the book in terms of triumph and tragedy. In fact, Ellis's analogy about executive authority might well be applied to his adherence to the book's theme "it could expand or contract like an accordion, making the music required in different historical contexts." Although I do not usually appreciate the accordion, this book was enjoyable.
Book Review: Very solid
Summary: 4 Stars
This book was written in the same format as the amazing "Founding Brothers," and while it is another excellent effort from Ellis, it's not quite at that same level. Not that many books are.
Ellis takes some stories/events that led to the creation of the republic and describes them well, pointing out positives and negatives of each. It's more analytical than "Founding Brothers." After the first two chapters, this book really picks up and offers an awful lot of good information in a quick-reading style that Ellis is known for.
He pins a significant amount of blame on Jefferson for not stopping the spread of slavery after the Louisiana Purchase, and while I see his point, I don't completely agree. The one thing I wish this book had was an additional chapter on the War of 1812. He stops the book after the Purchase and indicates that it was the final major event en route to the American creation. I believe that until the War of 1812 was resolved, the republic was not really secure, and since it was a founder who oversaw that war, it would have been the ideal place to conclude the book. Regardless, I enjoyed it very much.
Book Review: A great history book from a proven author.
Summary: 4 Stars
Joseph J. Ellis' tract record as one of this country's premier historical authors is extended even farther by American Creation. Like His Excellency: George Washington; or Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation; or even American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson, American Creation will enlighten and inform anyone who reads it. You do not have to be a historian to enjoy the book.
Unlike earlier works, American Creation, is composed of separate essays that each look at a particular period or event relevant to the Revolution. Separate, but equal. Whether looking at the debate before the Declaration of Independence, the difficulty of Valley Forge, or the failure of the founding fathers to corral the issue of slavery, each essay becomes a focal point of study. How did each of these events effect ultimately the country we became?
Well researched, superbly written, American Creation is worth the time to read. If you like to spend time with the Notes section, you'll find plenty to study. I also recommend the Afterword.
Enjoy, I highly recomment American Creation.
Book Review: Masterwork
Summary: 4 Stars
I think this is the work of an expert who clearly has mastered and also delights in his subject. It reads very lightly, not the least bit ponderous. There are many insights, but I will not spoil the fun of finding them by previewing them all here. For one example, the chapter on Washington's effort, promptly after becoming President, to broker a comprehensive and just arrangment with native American tribes was completely new to me. The book convincingly demonstrates why the "great men" approach to writing history of periods that were dominated by the visions and wills of such "great men" is far more popular than the politically correct "everyday people" approach: it's just more exciting to read. This dead white elite grappled, not perfectly but, overall, successfully, with the most fundamental issues that have shaped this remarkable nation and that we encounter today in different guises. The book does an outstanding job of providing pithy narratives of many of those struggles and enlightening how the basic principles of the nation were first formed.