Founding Brothers

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Founding Brothers

Joseph J. Ellis

History

Jul 28, 2018

We’ve become accustomed to casting Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Hamilton, and other figures who were instrumental in the formation of our republic in a fatherly role, bestowing upon them a dispassionate and collective paternal wisdom that supports the enduring popular assumption that “Founding Fathers Know Best.” But this view makes it easy to overlook the extent to which they argued long and hard with one another. Ellis here focuses on six specific incidents that illustrate the founders’ wrangling, ranging from widely known events to clandestine encounters. He puts his close knowledge of the historical context in the service of the reader, illuminating the issues of the day with insight and erudition. It’s hard to imagine a better introduction to the period—or to the small library of bestselling books on the revolutionary generation—than Founding Brothers.

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