Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation - Book Report/Review Example

of the History of the Concerned 14 April Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation It is a fact that in a scholastic context, Founding Brothers is an emphatically insightful book by Joseph Ellis that did deserve the Pulitzer Price it earned. In the Founding Brothers, the intention of the author is to depict as to how the friendships and personal relationships of the founding fathers did influence as to the course that the nation’s history took (Young 1). This book enables the readers to analyze the Revolutionary history with the dual advantage of foresight and hindsight.

The book happens to focus on the lives of six of the utterly salient personalities associated with the Revolutionary history that are Washington, Hamilton, Adams, Franklin, Madison and Jefferson. The writer does intend to convey to the readers that any of the salient aspects of the Revolutionary history that seem to be self evident in retrospect, did actually happen to be the most contested aspects of the republic. Thereby, the American history like the history of any other nations did happen to be an instrument of chance and human relations to some extent.

In the Founding Brothers Joseph Ellis delves on six utterly important incidents in the Revolutionary history that are the Burr-Hamilton Duel, a secret dinner attended by Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, the silence on the debate pertaining to slavery, the farewell address of George Washington, the ideological differences between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, and the friendship between Jefferson and Adams. As per Ellis, the Republicans considered the Revolution to be emphatically sacred and an awesomely liberating act and they believed the Declaration of Independence to be sacrosanct and venerable.

In contrast the Federalists considered the Revolution an inevitable act leading to the eventual creation and consolidation of the American nationhood. Thereby, as per the Federalists, it was the constitution that happened to be the truly venerable and somber instrument of freedom. In that context it does need to be mentioned that in Founding Brothers, Ellis brings out the most human aspect of the American Revolution based on faced to face incidents and deliberations and the acts and incidents intimately associated with the persona and personal life of the founding fathers (Bobrick 1).

As per Ellis, the founding fathers were concisely and precisely aware of the fact that the actions and thoughts originating from them were poised to set a historical precedent, which the future generations will not only follow and imitate, but will also delve on and acutely analyze. Ellis precisely takes his readers to a tour into the nascent chaos that marked the Revolution. It seems really insightful to know that the founding fathers were as susceptible to passions and emotions and did indulge in heated and secretive arguments, contestations and duels.

The book makes an awesome narrative that takes its readers into the minds and hearts of the founding fathers and thereby enables them to feel as to what they felt and thought. The actions of the founding fathers take on a whole new meaning in this book. Works CitedBobrick, Benson. “The Brethren”. The New York Times 10 December 2000. Print. 14 April 2015. Young, Hugo. “Fathers of a Nation”. The Guardian 2 March 2002. Web. 14 April 2015.