Joseph Elis’ book ‘Founding Brothers: The revolutionary generation’, revisits the US political history by focusing on the revolutionary leaders that collaborated to form the first independent government of US territory. These revolutionary leaders are often known as the Founding Fathers, but the book refers to them as the founding brothers. This title reflects their deep founded unity that is similar to familial ties1. The book explores some of the major challenges the Founding Brothers encountered after creating the first government soon after the Revolutionary war against the British colonial powers. The author split the book into seven major sections, with each of the sections covering a different historical issue, theme, or event during the leadership of the founding brothers. The primary approach the author uses in the book is attempting to relate the challenges these leaders faced with their relationships and different personalities to determine how each of them shaped their success.
The author’s main argument is that the founding of the first independent government was a collective process, which succeeded because of the various personality traits and ideologies of the Founding Brothers. He notes that the Founding Brothers had different approaches to issues but managed to work together in creating an active government2. For instance, they had different opinions in interpreting the US revolution and its objectives. Alexander Hamilton and his followers understood the revolution as the ultimate sacrifice by the American people for their greater good. On the other hand, Thomas Jefferson viewed the revolution as a rebellion against a centralized government system3. Nevertheless, the Founding Brothers were able to harmonize their differences and worked together effectively.
The author is able to explore this argument in greater depth using various examples to show how the Founding Brothers were successful in different aspects despite their different personalities4 The author is able to bring out the differences in their approach to issues and challenges and how they were able to overcome each difficulty. It is their unity when facing challenges that informed the title of the book.
My personal point on the book is that the author explores the important events in American history from a different perspective in comparison to most literature. For instance, despite focusing on the historical contributions of the Founding Fathers, the author also explores the future impact of their actions. The examination of the impact of the different personalities of the Founding Brothers also makes the book unique. I also believe that the author was able to make his points and clear, hence contributing to the success of the book.
In conclusion, Joseph Elis’ book is one of the books that stand out when it comes to American history. The author’s approach in exploring each event or issue in the political life of the Founding Brothers is prominent. Similarly, his prowess in analyzing different themes and problems during the formation of the first government is unrivaled. He is also able to explain his arguments in the book with relevant examples, thus making it easier to comprehend the book. The book’s structure also enhances the author’s explanations of each theme. However, one question that the book’s audience must ponder when reading the book is how would Founding Brothers react to the growing political differences today given that they embraced unity in their political approach?
Notes
- George, Carey, W., and Weiner, Greg. “The founding fathers.” Modern Age 56, no.1 (2014): 29-41.
- George, Carey, W., and Weiner, Greg. “The founding fathers.” Modern Age 56, no.1 (2014): 29-41.
- Joseph, Ellis. Founding brothers: The revolutionary generation. (New York, NY: Vintage Books, 2002), 56.
- Joseph, Ellis. Founding brothers: The revolutionary generation. (New York, NY: Vintage Books, 2002), 73.
Bibliography
Carey, George W., and Greg Weiner. “The founding fathers.” Modern Age 56, no.1 (2014): 29-41.
Ellis, Joseph. Founding brothers: The revolutionary generation. New York, NY: Vintage Books, 2002.
Footnotes
1 – George, Carey, W., and Weiner, Greg. “The founding fathers.” Modern Age 56, no.1 (2014): 29-41.
2 – George, Carey, W., and Weiner, Greg. “The founding fathers.” Modern Age 56, no.1 (2014): 29-41.
3 – Joseph, Ellis. Founding brothers: The revolutionary generation. (New York, NY: Vintage Books, 2002), 56.
4 – Joseph, Ellis. Founding brothers: The revolutionary generation. (New York, NY: Vintage Books, 2002), 73.