American Creation Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic

Joseph J. Ellis, John H. Mayer

eAudio - 2007

From the first shots fired at Lexington to the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the negotiations for the Louisiana Purchase, Joseph J. Ellis guides us through the decisive issues of the nation’s founding, and illuminates the emerging philosophies, shifting alliances, and personal and political foibles of our now iconic leaders–Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, and Adams. He casts an incisive eye on the founders’ achievements, arguing that the American Revolution was, paradoxically, an evolution–and that part of what made it so extraordinary was the gradual pace at which it occurred. He explains how the idea of a strong federal government was eventually embraced by the American people and details the emergence of... the two-party system, which stands as the founders’ most enduring legacy.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... more