Founding Brothers : The Revolutionary Generation Essay

Out of the six chapters, I prefer to write about Chapter One and Two: The Duel and The Dinner. This book was very intriguing and helped in the understanding of the post-revolutionary America and the lives of the founding brothers and what they went through.

The founding fathers, or as the book calls them the founding brothers, are an assorted group of men from wildly different backgrounds. In political terms, they were divided. Yet, they came to together to help shape this country into the place it is today. Now on their journey towards the making of this country they did encounter some trouble. They encountered heated debates among themselves though for getting through these debates they show just why they deserve to be called, founding brothers.

Joseph J. Ellis is an American author and historian whose main focus is a chronicle on the lives of the Founding Fathers. Other than the Pulitzer Prize Winner Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation, Ellis has also written eight other books, the newest of which was written in 2015. In the preface of the book, Ellis addresses his reasoning for writing about the Founding Fathers, saying, “In my opinion, the central events and achievements of the revolutionary era and the early republic were political. These events and achievements are historically significant because they shaped the subsequent history of the United States, including our own time.” (13). Ellis believes that knowing the foundation of our past is important for our society to be able to move forward. Part of his work is to establish how the past has affected our current nation, and the other part is to separate rumors from facts when it comes to certain historical events.

In the book, “Revolutionary Characters”, Gordon S. Wood is a history professor at Alva O. Way University and Brown University. Wood was nominated for the National Book Award, but also obtaining the Bancroft and John H. Dunning prizes for his 1969 book “The Creation of the American Republic”. In the other hand, he won the Pulitzer Prize and the Emerson Prize in another book called “The Radicalism of the American Revolution”. This book demonstrates the analysis of six individual founders that lead to the United States successes once again. The prominent historical figures of this book are George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, and James Madison. The founder I will discuss in the review is Benjamin Franklin because his great imaginary ideas created into reality as an inventor. The unique way I see and know about this book is the more information on wars and different achievements provided by the author and different interesting facts about each founder.

In the book Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis, the author relates the stories of six crucial historic events that manage to capture the flavor and fervor of the revolutionary generation and its great leaders. While each chapter or story can be read separately and completely understood, they do relate to a broader common theme. One of Ellis' main purposes in writing the book was to illustrate the early stages and tribulations of the American government and its system through his use of well blended stories. The idea that a republican government of this nature was completely unprecedented is emphasized through out the book. Ellis discusses the unique problems that the revolutionary generation experienced as a result of governing under the

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.

David O. Stewart, by profession, is a lawyer with a resume that includes everything from arguing appeals at the Supreme Court level to serving as a law court to the acclaimed Junior Powell. But in writing The Summer of 1787: The Men Who Invented the Constitution (specifically, I read the First Simon & Schuster trade paperback edition May 2008, copyrighted in 2007), he uses that experience in law to prove himself a gifted storyteller. Two hundred sixty-four pages long, this United States history nonfiction book does indeed have the substance to engage the reader throughout. It has special features that include two appendices featuring the elector system and the actual constitution of 1787, author’s notes, suggested further reading, acknowledgments and an index (which escalate the total length of the book to three hundred forty-nine pages long).

Joseph J. Ellis, the author of “The Founding Brothers,” identifies and give a better vision of what is happening in the American Revolution. Ellis states, “On the inevitability side, it is true there was voices back then urging prospective patriots to regard American Independence as an early manifest destiny” (3). The book introduces the revolutionaries: George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, Aaron Burr, James Madison, and Benjamin Franklin. Ellis focuses on the characteristics, actions, events, and the ideologies differences that affect the American Revolution.

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.

Founding Brothers The Revolutionary Generation , written and narrated by Joseph J. Ellis, is separated into six chapters and a preface. The six chapters are crucial events in American history, mostly the time surrounding the 1787 Constitutional Convention, which are described using many techniques, such as, quotes and dates. While each section contains one point, as a whole they can be understood to work together. The main purpose of Ellis’ writing was to inform readers of the early stages of government and how it was discussed. Founding Brothers focuses on ideals of the early revolutionary generation leaders and how conflicting their political views were. Ellis describes the personalities of Hamilton, Burr, Adams, Washington, Madison, and Jefferson with great awareness and detail. The results of these influential individuals have molded our country, and their acts of integrity will live on past America’s existence.

Ellis describes a heated House debate in 1790 where slavery was reluctantly addressed. Benjamin Franklin and James Madison’s reactions are discussed. Ellis recognizes that in this moment, compromise was absent and the divisions within the country were becoming increasingly conspicuous. Ellis emphasize that making slavery a non-issue eventually led to the Civil War. The next event described by Ellis was the publishing of George Washington’s Farewell Address. Ellis addresses Washington’s legacy and regard for future generations of America. In his next story, Ellis examines how the relationships of 1776 turned into more sensible collaborations that would mold American history. Ellis focuses mainly on the relationship between Jefferson and Adams as well as Adams’ collaboration with his wife, Abigail. In his final piece of evidence, Ellis tells the story of the extensive communication between Adams and Jefferson during the last fourteen years of their lives, restoring their lost friendship after a political betrayal.

Joseph J. Ellis, the author of Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation, is an American author and historian. Born July 18, 1943 in Washington, D.C., Ellis would grow up to be one of the best, well-known scholars of America. He began his college education at Yale University, then at the College of William & Mary. Ellis ' works include Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation, American Sphinx, and His Excellency: George Washington. His books have brought his name into one of remembrance as his books have gone on to win the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, and New York Times bestseller. Ellis has taught at many prestigious colleges including Mount Holyoke College, Williams College, Commonwealth Honors College at the

The pivotal political decisions in the young American republic of the late 18th century were made by a select few leaders. These forerunners knew each other at a personal level, and their gregariousness had a remarkable impact on the choices they made in the future. In the words of an accomplished historian and a biographer, Joseph Ellis,

Some things in life must be done, even if they are wasteful and illegal. If you look through our country’s history, you will find that this is a common theme. This essay will cover one of the many events that falls into this category. The Sons of Liberty were a very influential group in our country’s history. In the following paragraphs who they were, why they were formed, and their importance in our history will be discussed.