Introduction
The Founding Brothers, By Joseph Ellis, is a documentary-style book that tells about the relationships between the founding fathers of the United States. The Author is a Ford Foundation Professor of History at Mount Holyoke College. He served his country as a Captain in the United States Army and taught at West Point (Military Academy), New York.
Ellis’ other books include:
- American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic (2007)
- His Excellency: George Washington (2005)
- American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson (1998)
- Passionate Sage: The Character and Legacy of John Adams (2001)
- After the Revolution: Profiles of Early American Culture (2002)
Primary Theme
The primary theme of the book, Founding Brothers, was the relationships between the men in leadership positions in early American history. The book goes into great detail about how each man felt about the other men and why they behaved the way they did. Most of their behavior was typical of that era but some of their behaviors were because of the stress of nation-building that the men had undertaken. Ellis is quick to point out that this generation was the “greatest generation in American history” (McDonald, p1). These men were responsible for the successful American Revolution that, if it had gone wrong, these men would have been charged with treason and hanged by the British.
Ellis describes each man as they show up in history beginning with George Washington who, by the time of this book, was passing on the torch of leadership to Adams (after he won the election). Ellis points out that these men knew they were making history and many, like Adams, kept a record of correspondence for historical purposes.
Primary Intention
The author’s primary intention was to record history from the perspective of the men who served the United States in the highest positions. He gives each man back his intricacies or personalities rather than just recording what the men accomplished and how they accomplished what they did. For example, Ellis tells of the relationship between John Adams and his second wife, Abigail, who was referred to as his “one woman cabinet”. Ellis takes the readers from George Washington’s last party through each subsequent leader and his importance to the country.
Most significantly described in the book was the election of John Adams over Thomas Jefferson. The book pointed out how the election winner was President and the second placer was the Vice President. In this case, Adams won by three votes and Jefferson lost the Presidency but won the Vice Presidency. In this case, the President and the Vice President did not work together very well. This was all before the 12th amendment to the Constitution made the elections between party tickets where the President and Vice President were both part of the same ticket (as it is today).
Presentation
Ellis’ presented the book as a historical literary or novel type book.
Ellis spent much time in the bookmaking comparisons between the main characters in the book;
George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton, and Abigail Adams. Each person’s personality, and functions in the new government, were described in detail.
Again, relationships between these individuals continued to be the main theme of the book. Ellis presented each individual as knowing that they had made history and would continue to make history. The presentation was chronological with each individual being described as he appeared in the overall story or record of history.
Sources
The primary sources for this book are the writings of the individuals highlighted in this book that are preserved in the National Archives and individual collections. Also, the Journals of American History, The Early Republic, and Southern History were used extensively. Ellis also used historical accounts written by other reputable historical authors.
The author of this book tries to be as unbiased as possible as is especially evident when he writes about the Adams/Jefferson relationship and the Hamilton/Burr relationship. The original writings from these individuals most probably helped Ellis remain unbiased.
Contribution
This book most probably makes a significant contribution to historical education. Its readability offers the reader an opportunity to see the many sides of the story of early leaders of the United States. It especially presents these people as individuals with thoughts and feelings rather than the portrait history we are all accustomed to. This book may be found in senior high school libraries and on reading lists of both high schools’ and colleges’ history programs. The accompanying DVD program by the History Channel is a good supplement to the book.
Conclusion
Joseph Ellis Presents a very readable history of the men of early America. He presents the early leaders as persons deeply concerned about doing the right thing for their country. The reader will walk away from this book as if he had been introduced to these great men of history and knows them professionally and personally. Mr. Ellis has once again written a book that will become a valuable asset to any program designed to teach about early American leaders.
Mr. Ellis ensures to use a well-rounded source base for this book. Most notable, Mr. Ellis focuses on the writings of the men he writes about. Relationships between individuals in leadership positions are important to Ellis in this book.
This book will find a home on many bookshelves of individuals, schools, and colleges because it presents its subjects as real-life individuals. The author succeeded in his primary intention to present his subjects as individuals deeply concerned about their role in history.
Works Cited
Ellis, Joseph J. Founding Brothers. New York: Alfred A Knopf, 2001.
“Founding Brothers.” Volumn 2. CD-ROM. USA: The History Channel, 2002.
“FOUNDING BROTHERS: The Revolutionary Generation.” Publishers Weekly 247.37 (2000): 80. General Reference Center Gold. Gale. Web.
McDonald, Dr. Robert M. S. “Founding Brothers.” Parameters 31.3 (2001): 180. General Reference Center Gold. Gale. Web.
Schaeper, T.J. “Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation.” Library Journal 125.17 (2000): 84. General Reference Center Gold. Gale. Web.