American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic [B0220]

2007 HCDJ 1st edition. From the first shots fired at Lexington to the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the negotiations for the Louisiana Purchase, Joseph J. Ellis guides us through the decisive issues of the nation's founding, and illuminates the emerging philosophies, shifting alliances, and personal and political foibles of our now iconic leaders–Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, and Adams. He explains how the idea of a strong federal government was eventually embraced by the American people, and details the emergence of the two-party system, which stands as the founders' most enduring legacy. Ellis is equally incisive about their failures, and he makes clear how their inability to abolish slavery and to reach a just settlement with the Native Americans has played an equally important role in shaping our national character. With eloquence and insight, Ellis strips the mythic veneer of the revolutionary generation to reveal men both human and inspired, possessed of both brilliance and blindness. American Creation is an audiobook that delineates an era of flawed greatness, at a time when understanding our origins is more important than ever.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Quite a weighty book with amazingly full profiles of the founding fathers and their relationships. I did not expect the very messiness and flip flopping involved in the country's beginning. We all need to get a better handle on our history."; "This book reads like a history book should. It was an accounting of how lucky and messy the start of the nation was. Trial and error, and many missed opportunities to do the right thing in terms of treating the Native American and ending Slavery. Hindsight makes everyone a genius."