The Thumbnail Book Reviews
by John Q McDonald --- 22 August 2005
by Joseph J. Ellis
The men who founded the United States of America, composing some of the finest civic documents in history, and successfully carrying out a guerilla war against the most formidable army in the world, have become a sort of pantheon of gods claimed, alternately, by one side or another in America's ongoing political debate. Joseph Ellis, author of biographies of both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson (American Sphinx for which he won the National Book Award), returns to his subjects in this small but highly enlightening book on the revolutionary generation. Through six episodes in the first couple of decades after the ratification of the Constitution, Ellis brings to life several of the people involved in a debate over the very meaning of the revolution and its implications for the future. Ultimately, the debate, between those who advocated a strong central federal government, and those who championed the libertarian ideals of the revolution, is a debate which continues over two hundred years later. Reading this book, one could think we haven't learned anything at all in that time. But one could come away with a new appreciation of the human nature of our earthly gods. The book opens with the infamous duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. Ellis portrays this duel as originating in some fundamental disagreements and political frustrations in its participants, all of which originate in that original debate over the meaning of the revolution and the new nation. He goes on to tell the stories of the siting of the nation's capitol, the debate over slavery that begins with Benjamin Franklin and ends in silence, George Washington's departure from the scene, John Adams's presidency, and the long correspondence between Adams and Jefferson in the closing years of their lives. The book is absolutely riveting. The history is brought to life in these overlapping episodes, and the messy nature of the political time is enlivened by the strong personalities and various genius at large. Oddly enough, though the book focuses on the men who loomed large in American history, one of its most fascinating characters is Abigail Adams, John's wife and closest adviser. She plays a significant role in his presidency and in his correspondence, no doubt leaving her own mark on American history. While one can regret the loss of the kind of virtue Adams tried to bring to his presidency, rising above partisanship in a time when party member was an epithet, one can also see in this book the origins of our intense national debate. The political battles that seem so fierce today are revealed as nothing new. In fact, they go back to the very founding of the country. Ellis's book is an outstanding piece of popular history. Highly recommended.
(For this book, Ellis was awarded the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for history.)