This book does an excellent job of synthesizing the political beliefs of the many founders of our country, providing context of both time and economic conditions. It is a well-written, engaging book for those of us who got caught up in the new round of biographies -- John Adama and Benjamin Franklin, most notably -- that renewed our love of U.S. history. It puts these figures in context against each other and gives us something to build from as we continue the exploration of our countrys roots.
Ive read a number of works about colonial America, the American Revolution, and the subsequent founding of the United States. In my opinion, this is by far the best single volume book on the subject of the birth of the United States. Not only do you get a great overview of the events leading up to the American Revolution and the Revolution itself, but the story about the struggle to create the new nation after the 1783 peace settlement is also fascinating. This book is very well written. It will be welcomed reading for both the knowledgable American history enthusiast and for those who for the first time may be seeking to understand the birth of our great nation.
america needs to get a grip on its own history to better relate to the rest of the world. from president bush down to the coffee house waitress, everyone needs to read this book. concentrating on the politics and personalities that produced our nation, it demonstrates that despite the flaws and narrow mindedness of many that the product of their work is about as good as people can devise. the founders were far from perfect, nor motives always pure, but they did the best they could with the cards dealt them. from the stamp act in 1765 to the election of jefferson in 1800, where the book ends, is a 35 year period that could have gone many different directions. then another 65 years to settle some of the unresolved issues with the civil war. then another 100 years to guarentee full citizenship to all people. we should remember this as the US seeks change in other countries under very difficult circumsatnces.
