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Founding Brothers Summary

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United States won its independence and formed a lasting republic through events and actions in history. The book, Founding Brothers by Joseph J. Ellis, is about how the events and people of the revolutionary era has “shaped the subsequent history of the United States, including our own time”(pg.3). Ellis focuses on a few founding fathers that contributed to America’s revolutionary success. These founding fathers are Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John and Abigail Adams, Benjamin Franklin and George Washington. Ellis divides the book into seven sections, each section tells a story of an event that influenced history. These short stories, The Generation, The Duel, The Dinner, The Silence, The Farewell, The Collaborators …show more content…

The next chapter, The Collaboration, focuses on the relationships between the founding fathers during the election. Although Adams and Jefferson’s were great friends who “ trusted, [and] even loved each other (as friends)”(pg. 164), tensions started to form when both ran for president during the election of 1796. Adams supports Ellis thesis because Adams exemplifies a prominent figure in the revolution. American independence became “ his ministerial calling, a mission he pursued with all the compressed energy of a latter-day Puritan pastor who congregation was the American people”(pg. 165). Adams dedicated his life for the American Revolution and it became his life’s …show more content…

His conclusion reflects the same ideas as his book. In my opinion, the author adequately supported his thesis with evidence from the past. Ellis establishes a convincing thesis, then continues to develop it throughout the book using seven different stories, each concerning a different issue or event in history. I thought that the book was exceptional --- well written, captivating, and filled with intelligence and knowledge. Founding brothers is enjoyable to all and will broaden the reader’s understanding with insightful historical analysis. Ellis did an impressive job at balancing the book and not showing bias towards any of the prominent figures. Although the book provides a superb representation of the forefathers in each chapter, some chapters are more effective than others. The book also tends to wander off and get too in-depth in some area so it becomes a bit wearisome. During some areas the narration fails to sustain my attention and spark my interest. Simultaneously, I would not say that it’s dull or boring, as it gives an considerable amount of information and I learned a lot from it. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wanted to learn more about our history and founding

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