Rating: 
Summary: Makes me Want to Read "American Sphinx"
Review: This is a great book. Ellis hones in on key ideas and great stresses within our system of federal and state government by working outward from biographical sketches of the people who either produced those ideas, or got caught in their implementation.The Hamilton-Burr duel exegesis is outstanding, and the exploration of Burr's mindset, motivations, and consequent actions is a good complement to our knowledge of the bare facts of what happened. The way Ellis gets into the details of, for example, Hamilton putting on his spectacles just before being shot, humanized his subject in a way that Richard Brookhiser also has achieved in his full biography of Hamilton published a few years ago. Ellis takes a few strains of Hamilton further, showing us the side of Hamilton that may have been ready to lead a military insurrection against Congress, for example. Then his Jefferson/Adams chapter is very good. It's a relief to see a great American manipulator like Jefferson brought back to earth, and good to see that the man himself tried to achieve some penance for his sins against the Federalists, in his surprising correspondence with Adams. Ellis unearths some canny aspects of Jefferson which we see in successful politicians of today: projecting a false certainty about inherently unknowable projects, as well as fudging dollar estimates of what things like the University of Virginia would really cost, by starting with ridiculously low--but politically acceptable--numbers in order to commit public funds beyond the point of no return. The demographic analysis of slavery presented by Ellis is a good example of using modern methods of criticism, but reserving modern scorn for others to apply. We get an explanation for why Virginia and Virginians were so ready to go along with the compromise/scandal of not counting slaves as full people: Virginia had just way too many slaves relative to its number of non-slaves in its population. This provides us with a cold shower of reality lest we wax too nostalgic for some kind of essential purity inherent in all of the great Virginian founders. The fact that their work lasted until the seemingly always inevitable Civil War (perhaps preordained by their own over-stimulated view of state sovereignty produced by their Virginia-centric view of the world) is still incredible. The fact that Jefferson did not free Sally Hemmings in his last will and testament, but did free a few others (although over 100 were simply auctioned off like cattle) is brought to light here, again as a good corrective to over-effulgent interpretations of Jefferson. Ellis seems like what a history teacher should be. I hope his students at Mount Holyoke appreciate him as much as I do.
Rating: 
Summary: Human beings after all
Review: In Joseph J. Ellis' Founding Brothers we see the men who are considered the "Founding Fathers" as they really were, men, not the infallible heroes of American history text books. By showing how these men reacted to events in their lives and their interactions with one another, Ellis shows the reader fallible men, with too much pride and envy, who despite these faults helped form America. Events such as Washington's Farewell and the choice of Washington D.C. for the capital are discussed in detail and give the reader insight into the politics and personalities of the times. Despite having to work through the very wordy preface and one more re-telling of the Burr-Hamilton duel that really adds nothing to the book, this book is a highly informative look at the early history of the U.S.A.
Rating:
Summary: A History Text Which Reads Like a Great Novel
Review: This is one of the better American Revolutionary History texts that I have read, period. Ellis has a style that presents the facts and events in a way that involves the reader. In other words, as I read this account of the early American Fathers, I was drawn into each chapter which magnificently developed the lives, letters, and actions of men whom we often times place on an untouchable pedestal. When, all the while, these same men, as is accounted here, are merely men who struggled, fought, worked, stumbled, and sometimes intentionally stepped on one another's toes to get their agenda accomplished. Ellis gives a rich account of several key events in early revolutionary American history. He does so by delineating these events over the course of 6 chapters. Beginning with the famous 'duel' between Hamilton and Burr, and moving into the histories of a meeting which took place between Jefferson, Hamilton, and Madison regarding the locale of the nation's capitol and Hamilton's economic plan which seem to continually lose ground in congress. Further chapters include the 1790 attempt to abolish slavery in congress due to an appeal by the Quakers, and a final attempt by Ben Franklin, just weeks before his death, to see slavery in American come to an end. Also, the reader finds out in subsequent chapters how terrible the relations became between Jefferson and Washington and Adams. This led Jefferson to end written relations between he and Washington altogether. Ellis' account is one that is honest, very perceptive, and wonderfully written. This book is an account of the men who helped to shaped and maintain this country in the first three or so decades. And Ellis is often painfully honest in his history and assessment of these great men. If you are interested in American Revolutionary History, then you will not want to miss this book. In fact, this book is a much needed alternative to those dry, dull, and typical American history texts which bored us so much in our secondary schooling education. However, Ellis is true to the facts, and does not exaggerate in order to rise above the stereotypical boredom of American History. He simply knows how to reveal true history in a way that makes his reader take part. And this makes for good reading. I highly recommend this book!!!
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Summary: Can Such Enjoyable Reading Really Be Educational? Yes!
Review: I read the first customer reviewer (Rothman) with amazement because he has faulted Ellis's writing style as ponderous. I could not disagree more. This book is a delight from beginning to end--as much for its writing style as for its subtle, if not entirely original, insights. We are implicitly challenged to reflect on many issues which haunt us to this day: states' rights versus a strong centralized government; foreign intervention versus non-intervention on behalf of human rights; factionalism versus bi-partisanship; affirmative action versus benign neglect; etc., etc. Among the many virtues of this book is the degree to which it illustrates how blessed we were to have such strong, enlightened, and committed leaders and how they were empowered, often as much in disagreement as in alliance with one another. Professor Ellis, you have done the historical profession proud! My congratulations and many thanks.
Rating:
Summary: An Interesting Insight Into the Country's Formative Years
Review: America is what it is today because of the precedents set by the politics of those who governed in the first decade of its existence. Ellis uses this premise as he examines the struggle between two competing political viewpoints during the country's formative years. One revolutionary view espoused the principle of individual freedom as the major benefit of the struggle for independence. The competing revolutionary view stressed the collectivistic principle which emphasized the need to surrender some measure of personal, state, and sectional independence for the benefit of the larger American community as a whole. Ellis present six important scenarios which demonstrate the conflicts which the early leaders of our republic had to manage. These are: (1) the duel between Alexander Hamilton and James Burr; (2) a compromise between James Madison and Alexander Hamilton in which state debt would be assumed by the federal government and the capital would be established on the Potomac; (3) the tacit agreement to ignore the problem of slavery and the slave trade early in the beginnings of the nation; (4) George Washington's farewell address and its implications; (5) Adam's succession of Washington as president and his efforts to pass the presidency along to his own son; (6) the relationship, feud, and eventual reconcilliation between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. This is an interesting look at the formative years of our nation. It would serve as an excellent primer for those who are interested in our history but may not have read extensively on the subject. It is not a particularly quick read. The prose is sometime ponderous and subject matter occasionally requires a quick look back to previously read passages to verify the importance of the current text and to facilitate an understanding of the conflict; however, I found its reading to be well worth my while.
Rating:
Summary: Illumination for the Revolutionary Era Novice
Review: For a person like me with limited knowledge of the Revolutionary epoch, this book was very illuminating. I found particularly insightful the chapters on the Hamilton-Burr duel and the oscillations in the decades-long Jefferson-Adams relationship. To me, Hamiton had always been the political foil to Jefferson. I see through Profeesor Ellis' work that Adams has an equally compelling claim to the anti-Jefferson mantle. The book is not the easiest read, and should only be opened in an environment conducive to focused, sustained concentration.
Rating:
Summary: Great Insights.
Review: Professor Ellis has written a wonderful, scholarly work that might be the core for a lecture series on the "Founding Fathers". These insights show once again that we were both lucky and good. The last chapter, dealing with the relationship btwn John Adams and Thos Jefferson, was my favorite. The more I read, the higher my regard for Mr Adams, often at the expense of my waning respect for Mr Jefferson.
Rating:
Summary: Great introduction to the Revolutionary period
Review: If you don't know much about revolutionary America, Ellis' book provides a readable, entertaining introduction to the men whose faces we see on our currency and the times they shaped. He's written the book as a series of approximately biographical vignettes, a style perfect for those seeking some knowledge of history but who are not searching for depth on any particular revolutionary character or event. Each vignette is relatively self-contained, particularly useful if you want a book you can read a few minutes at a time - you don't have to worry about reaching the end and not remembering what happened on page one. The writing is beautiful, so you may end up reading more of it at a sitting than you intended. If, on the other hand, you've read more in depth biographies or accounts of any of the events Ellis describes, (such as Gore Vidal's "Burr") don't look to this book for new information or analysis. He does not attempt to present any underlying themes of the revolution, unless you count as a theory his suggestion that the people involved were at least as if not more important than political situation in 1776 - 1800 in terms of shaping our country. Although the writing, as I've mentioned, is wonderful, and the book looks great on a shelf, if you are a hard-core history buff looking to deepen your knowledge of minutiae, you are probably better off adding something else to your cart.
Rating:
Summary: Perhaps the best book on the 'Founding Fathers'
Review: There has been a mini-Renaissance in historical research and writing recently. That is, the truth has slowly been deemed more important than adding some small tidbits to the 'usual' story. From primary sources, I can tell you that this book is the closest to a 'true' picture of these men, whose names we all know, of all the books I've read on the subject. I have read a lot. It is not an expose'. It is honest, well-documented, and a great and relatively easy read. If you are really interested in learning about our Founding Fathers, warts and all - then this is definitely your book. I cannot stress that enough. On a personal note, I believe that by hearing the author tell the 'Founding Brothers' stories *factually* I think I 'trusted' the writer's *opinions* more. Definitely buy this book - my highest recommendation.
Rating:
Summary: They were human, after all!
Review: The study of American history constantly surprises me. Just when I think that I know enough about a certain period of our country's history, along comes a book that gives me a whole new perspective on it. This is one of those books. Like most Americans, I assumed that I had a pretty solid grasp on the "Founding Fathers" of the Revolution, but apparently I was wrong. Reading this work gave me a new appreciation of the innate political shrewdness of George Washington, the probity and sagacity of John Adams, and the inner contradictions of the mind of Thomas Jefferson. I grasped more fully the leading role Alexander Hamilton played in the 1790s, and received a much more moderate view of the character of Aaron Burr. This is an excellent work, and one which may be used as a standard against which future histories of the post-revolutionary period may be judged.
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