Critical Review: American Creation

The first central point that Ellis tells the reader to understand is that each and every one of the Founders checked as well as balanced each other on many occasions, especially during the achievements that they made for this country. When a founder wanted some action executed by the nation, another would attempt to persuade that one to not to push for it; checking him into which that

Two “Revolutions” – 3/2/16 – Cassie Young In the books The Quartet and Thomas Jefferson, Joseph Ellis and Joyce Appleby discuss their thoughts on two important moments in American history and how they believe them to be revolutionary. The Quartet describes the political situation of the United States immediately following the American Revolution and how it made the transformation from a confederation into a republic. To do this, it follows the actions of four prominent men – George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison – as they work toward their goal of bringing about a new national government and discusses nationalism, issues such as economics and expansion, and arguments about personal, state, and federal powers. He argues that the debate over the Constitution was between “nationalists” and “confederationists”, that the second Revolution was a by-product of the first in that it took the systems of the newly-independent states and reworked them into a coherent national collective, and that without this change, the United States couldn’t have become a modern model of government.

Contributing the New Government The book Founding Brothers - The Revolutionary Generation consists six stories, each of them focuses on a significant creative achievement or failure of seven important men of the early United States. They are George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, and Aaron Burr. Joseph Ellis has depicted these founding brothers – or founding fathers - in their efforts to lay the republic’s foundation of the most liberal nation – states in the history of Western Civilization.

Levin paints a picture of the founding fathers not as antiquated caricatures as they are presented in children’s cartoons, but of well-educated, historically minded, philosophical men who thoughtfully pieced together a government so as to safe guard it from the ‘soft tyranny’ we see rampant in today’s current governmental system.

The book being critiqued in the following review is Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis. Ellis’ goal in writing this book was to define the political events and achievements that gained historical significance because they framed the successive history of the United States. Ellis wrote on this specific topic because he felt the need to argue the fact that the American Revolution and the greatness achieved by the founding generation were the result of a collective effort. Ellis emphasizes that the success of the United States, at the time of its formation, was not an inevitable conclusion. At the time, it was an improbable result that

When the United States first gained its independence from England in 1776, most people believed that it would fail. This most likely would have been true, had it not been for the founding fathers that held our fragile country together. Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson are only a few of the many political figures that helped rule the United States in the 18th and 19th centuries, helping turn this country from an oppressive monarchy to a solidified republic in only a few decades. In the eyes of many, these three supposed geniuses were similar to gods. However, just like every single person that has ever been born, they had flaws that made them different from everybody else; these flaws heavily influenced almost every decision that they made, for better or worse. For example, Alexander Hamilton was very arrogant and egotistical, contributing to his brash and seemingly aggressive personality. In addition, John Adams was very stubborn and stuck in his ways when it came to listening to others; however, he was the complete opposite, very easily swayed, when it came to listening to his wife. Finally, Thomas Jefferson was an idealist, which in many cases, contributed to him being somewhat of a hypocrite. All three of these important political figures were obviously very influential in our country’s history, but like all humans, they had their flaws.

Founding Brothers, written by the illustrious Joseph J. Ellis and winner of the Pulitzer prize, is an extraordinary combination of perspectives from several founding fathers. Ellis seeks to give understanding into the people behind the acts that grant Americans the freedom they so greatly boast of,

There are many individuals in American History, whom we as Americans regard for their courage and audacity in shaping our nation. We learn in our history classes the great accomplishments of our founding fathers such as Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Ben Franklin. One other great founding father and our

In the Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis, we come to understand that the United States most important priority was remaining united even if the government was a bit shaky at times. In the book the amazing individuals who founded our government include George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and James Madison. The gifted leaders in our founding nation’s government went through many challenges but in the end our most valued component is remaining united. And throughout the book I’ve come to understand that this was our founding fathers goal.

The Quartet by Joseph Ellis was a novel to provide detail of the years following the American Revolution, and how the Quartet of George Washington, James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton each provided a quality in guiding America toward the right direction. Ellis creates a theme almost as if the reader is on a tour guide, because he explains the perspective on how America was being created between the “Second Revolution” of the years 1783-1789. But, the main goal Ellis wanted to make clear was this time period was the process of how America became a Nation. After finishing the book, Ellis was effective in making the case that the Quartet of Washington, Jay, Hamilton, Madison, as well as other major influences, greatly affected the “transition from confederation to nation.” Each Quartet presented a value in help transitioning America into a Nation, and Ellis provides excellent examples to solidify that claim.

119, 2009) America was starting to look weak in the eyes of other nations. The goal for America was to pay off their debt, but it was not working out as planned. It is essential to notice that governmental institutions are developed to supply certain unmet goals. Because of the failure of the Articles of Confederation it was time for a change. “Finding a new solution of a government that can identify the obstacles, but also show how different histories, traditions, and nations can be brought together.” (Samar, 2011) Therefore, a development for plans that would benefit America, and establish a stronger

It is a common misconception that the this country’s first attempt at establishing their own government with the Constitution was a success. And although the Constitution certainly has proven to be a success, it was not in fact the first attempt at creating a national government. That came with the Articles Of Confederation. A document which despite proving to be ineffective. still laid the foundation for the creation of the Constitution. The examination of the contrast between these two documents is key in understanding the creation of the US Presidency.

Augusto Useche Mr. O’Grady AP US History 12 August 2015 Summer Book Review Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Joseph J. Ellis ' work concentrates on crucial events after the Revolutionary war in the young nation of America. The writer unbiasedly analyzes vital moments in the lives of the

When foreigners envision the United States, commonly known as America, they often visualize economic opportunities, but more importantly: liberty and equality. The birth of America could only happen with the hard and persevered works of its founding fathers; this includes the writing of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration is a symbol that represents the entire nation and is considered to be a patrimony among many Americans. Yet, this document does not provide liberty and equality that many had expected. This is intensively explored in the study of American history. As residents of the Thirteen Colonies, the founding fathers were considered to be inferior to the British crown – King George III. Consequently, they decided to secede and make themselves the superior instead in a newly established country. As a result, the Declaration of Independence is not a document of liberty and equality for all, but rather a document for white men that also transcribes the founding fathers’ desire for superiority and the coding of white privilege.

Reality is Motivation Striving to make a fantasy a reality, the United States of America was formed. The fantasies, dreams, and ambitions of brave men and women drove the United States to freedom. However, with British provocations and colonists’ hardships, these dreams were only a factor among many others and, moreover,