American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic

From the prizewinning author of the best-selling Founding Brothers and American Sphinx a masterly and highly ironic examination of the founding years of our country The last quarter of the eighteenth century remains the most politically creative era in American history when a dedicated and determined group of men undertook a bold experiment in political ideals It was a time of triumphs yet as Joseph J Ellis makes clear it was also a time of tragediesall of which contributed to the shaping of our burgeoning nationFrom the first shots fired at Lexington to the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the negotiations for the Louisiana Purchase Ellis guides us through the decisive issues of the nations founding and illuminates the emerging philosophies shifting alliances and personal and political foibles of our now iconic leadersWashington Jefferson Madison Hamilton and Adams He casts an incisive eye on the founders achievements arguing that the American Revolution was paradoxically an evolutionand that part of what made it so extraordinary was the gradual pace at which it occurred He shows us why the fact that it was brought about by a group rather than by a single individual distinguished it from the bloodier revolutions of other countries and ultimately played a key role in determining its success He explains how the idea of a strong federal government championed by Washington was eventually embraced by the American people the majority of whom had to be won over as they feared an absolute power reminiscent of the British Empire And he details the emergence of the two-party systemthen a political noveltywhich today stands as the founders most enduring legacyBut 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 He demonstrates how these misjudgments now so abundantly evident were not necessarily inevitable We learn of the negotiations between Henry Knox and Alexander McGillivray the most talented Indian statesman of his time which began in good faith and ended in disaster And we come to understand how a political solution to slavery required the kind of robust federal power that the Jeffersonians viewed as a betrayal of their most deeply held principlesWith 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 a book that delineates an era of flawed greatness at a time when understanding our origins is more important than ever.