Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation
by Joseph J. Ellis

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Book Reviews of Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation

Book Review: The true "spirit of '76"
Summary: 5 Stars

There are two themes which run throughout the book. Mr Ellis mentions them early and often; they are therefore important to a proper understanding of the behavior and motives of the the founding fathers in this crucial period of national consolidation and soul searching.

(1) "No one present at the start knew how it would turn out in the end." This was fundamentally true for all; it was not just a case of a few doubting Thomases. George Washington was unsure that we up for the task; Washington in his last General Order, the author says, expressed his concerns about what would happen if the principles of federal government were not supported: "the honor, dignity and justice of the nation would be lost forever." Mr Ellis says plainly "what in retrospect has the look of a foreordained unfolding of God's will was in reality an improvisational affair in which sheer chance, pure luck - both good and bad...determined the outcome."

(2) Politically the period was marked by "shrill accusatory rhetoric, flamboyant displays of ideological intransigence, intense personal rivalries and hyperbolic claims of imminent catastophe." This reality is invariably overlooked when we grow wistful and nostalgic. We should remember that in the political culture of the day there was no formal recognition of the role of an opposition. As such there can be no doubt that the debates were vitriolic; Indeed, Mr Ellis says: "neither side possessed the verbal or mental capacity to regard the other as anything but treasonable." Statesmen and gentlemen they undoubtably were, but as this book reminds us, they were also political animals - sometimes savagely so.

It is against this backdrop that we can look at the first episode - "THE DUEL" - which illustrates the nature of the relationship between these men. This chapter refers to all the historical versions of the 1804 duel between Burr and Hamilton; the latter man we know lost his life. It explores all that led up to the duel and the fallout from it. Burr is shown to be a reckless opportunist whose influence swiftly waned following Hamilton's death. The author says that despite the differences between the men and their political passions "the energies released by national independence did not devour its own children"; the duel represents the only case in "the revolutionary generation when political difference ended in violence and death rather than in ongoing argument."

The famous DINNER between Jefferson, Madison, and Hamilton in 1790, is the subject of the second chapter. Here the book develops on the men's opposing economic and political visions for the new republic. On one side were the Federalists (Washington, Hamilton and Adams) who advocated "the virtuous surrender of personal, state and sectional interests to the larger purposes of American nationhood." They saw the nation's economic future tied to commerce and manufacturing; Hamilton's fiscal plan favored bankers, merchants and the urban elite - it would create a national debt and a national bank and conjured up for the opposing Republican's (Jefferson and Madison), an image of the all powerful national government that they had just fought to overthrow. Jeffersonians favored an agrarian economy and saw the true spirit of '76 as a "liberation movement." Mr Ellis states that the outcome of the dinner was the Compromise of 1790 whereby Hamilton's fiscal policies were agreed on in exchange for assurances for Southerners that the nation's capital would be built on the Potomac River.

Another chapter episode is "THE SILENCE" where Mr Ellis sees further compromise. The chapter begins with the arrival of petitions to Congress calling for the abolition of slavery; one such petition was signed by the newly appointed president of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society - Benjamin Franklin. The 1790 Congressional debates on the subject were very opinionated; Washington favored Abolition, because Mr Ellis says: "he tended to regard the condition of the black population as a product of nurture rather than nature - that is, he saw slavery as the culprit." Even slave owners such as Jefferson and Madison called the pro-slavery speeches invoking the defenses of biblical authority and racial superiority, by their proper name - "a moral embarrassment". They however went no further. Mr Ellis says that in the face of secessionist threats from South Carolina and Georgia, the founding fathers believed the question of Abolition had "the political potential to destroy the union." Thus the silence. Perhaps Mr Ellis is correct but it reads more like a clear sign (and to be fair, the only time) that the founders had a collective failure of statesmanship. They missed an opportunity to debate the issue; an opportunity that would never come that generation's way again.

The last chapter "THE FRIENDSHIP" explores the relationship between Adams and Jefferson. Mr Ellis is clearly an admirer of John Adams and he paints a glowing portrait of the man. "His refreshing and often irreverent candor provides the clearest window into the deeper ambitions and clashing vanities that propelled them all." Adams had been deserted by the others when he assumed the presidency; he relied on his wife Abigail who effectively served as his one person staff. The author treated with that episode in "THE COLLABORATORS". Reconciliation between Jefferson and Adams eventually took place and their friendship resumed in 1812; what then followed was a 14 year exchange of letters - 158 in total.

This is a well written and insightful book, neatly and succintly bringing to the fore historical and biographical details we have all learned before, but have never read about in so entertaining and refreshing a manner.

"The reading of all good books is like conversation with the finest men of past centuries." (Rene Descartes)

Summary of Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation

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

Historical Books

• Books > Subjects > Biographies & Memoirs
• Leaders & Notable People > Political
• History > Americas > United States > Revolution & Founding
• Politics