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

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

3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 · rating details · 2,283 ratings · 262 reviews

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...more 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 tragedies—all of which contributed to the shaping of our burgeoning nation.

From 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 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 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 system—then a political novelty—which today stands as the founders’ most enduring legacy.

But 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 principles.

With 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.(less)

Hardcover, 283 pages

Published October 30th 2007 by Knopf (first published 2007)

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Jul 28, 2008 Clinton rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: students of history

I read this to fill in a few of the considerable gaps in my knowledge of American history. I found Ellis readable and entertaining, especially his chapters on the Continental Army at Valley Forge and the Louisiana Purchase.

His portraits of Jefferson, Madison, Adams, and Washington are compelling and complex.

Ellis sets out to present the founding generation as neither saints nor villains. He shows how the founding was the product of some brilliant individuals but also of the historical climate...more

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Jan 03, 2009 Lgb rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book fills in a lot of gaps in the story of the creation of the United States. It describes the coming together of some of the most brilliant political minds ever assembled, and how they struggled with their republican values and the practical demands of the time. For example, Washington is forced to choose between feeding his starving army at Valley Forge by stealing food from local farmers, or respecting property rights and loosing the army which he needs to win freedom from Britain.
The...more

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Mar 12, 2013 Ryan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Another brilliant collection of six distinct and significant moments of the early Republic by the reputable historian, Joseph Ellis. Ellis diligently crafts and analyzes an elaborate chronological cornucopia of research entailing the nascent American republic's most poignant and regrettable moments. The two most justifiably tragic failures that never get resolved in this otherwise illustrious era, as Ellis painstakingly and continuously points out, are the inabilities of the leadership of the Fo...more

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May 26, 2012 Jason Palmer rated it 3 of 5 stars

So even though I’m not a 5th grade teacher any more, I can’t shake the early American history addiction. This book holds a nice sweeping portrayal of the founding years and ties a lot of things together. It makes me want to read more about Thomas Jefferson. There were many issues presented that were new to me such as the importance of the constant argument between states rights and federal power, and the impetus behind the Louisiana Purchase. I agree with most of what the author postulates in th...more So even though I’m not a 5th grade teacher any more, I can’t shake the early American history addiction. This book holds a nice sweeping portrayal of the founding years and ties a lot of things together. It makes me want to read more about Thomas Jefferson. There were many issues presented that were new to me such as the importance of the constant argument between states rights and federal power, and the impetus behind the Louisiana Purchase. I agree with most of what the author postulates in this book except for 2 ideas. One is that the two party system is an integral and inevitable part of any republic that is going to function properly, and that it is a good thing that the founders stumbled across it, however unwillingly. I think the two party system sucks. It puts the power in the hands of the minority over the majority, it makes it so that most votes don’t count, and it makes sure that no honest, independent person will ever become president. I guess this country kind of got off on the wrong foot as far as honest presidents go, since the first one was complicit in the race-based trafficking of human flesh on his own property, but it would be kind of nice to have a decent person as president for once. The other thing I don’t agree with is the author’s insistence that Washington really cared that much about finding an alternative to exterminating the Native American population. Of course Washington cared quite a bit more about them than the next dozen presidents would, but to say that he honestly believed that he was making promises to the Indians that he was actually planning on keeping is just showing that this author still sees Washington with glasses shrouded in the mist of heroism. Washington is still somewhat godlike for this author, which is interesting because he has no qualms about totally defaming the other founders and facing head on the uncomfortable elephants in the room. Unfortunately one elephant he never even mentions is the fact that Jefferson and Washington never freed (very many of) their own personal slaves during their lives (I think Jefferson only freed 5, and after his death his family auctioned off 130 people, including the family members of one of the only two slaves he freed in his will. None of this is mentioned in the book). To me this fact renders absolutely ridiculous and irrelevant anything good they might have done. It’s like trying to find some good side to Hitler. I’m sure Hitler did some good things, but it would be blasphemous to number them as if they justified the holocaust. Was not slavery a cultural holocaust, and did not Jefferson and Washington have the power to end it at least on their own property? No, they were justified because they would have suffered financially and there was actually a law against freeing one’s own slaves. Poor babies, they would have had to break a diabolical law and go without their foreign wines and cheeses. Yet they did sacrifice so much during the revolutionary years, and they broke so many laws that they were guilty of treason. If they truly believed in those revolutionary principles, they would have made one more revolutionary sacrifice and freed their slaves. I am sick of historians appologizing for them. (less)

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Dec 14, 2011 ***Dave Hill rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, audiobook

(Original review: http://hill-kleerup.org/blog/2008/04/...)

Overall: Good
Writing: Good
Info: Good
Re-Listenability: Good
Audio: Good

Writing: The subtitle of the book is “Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic,” and Ellis sticks with that theme as he reviews various episodes in the early US — from the Revolutionary War to Louisiana Purchase — to recount unexpected triumphs that made the US an unexpectedly viable republic, and the unquestionable tragedies (dealing with Indians east of...more

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Jun 20, 2011 Mycroft rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

Ellis talks about wanting to address the dichotomy between views of the 'Founding Fathers' as ideologically pure saints on the one side, and racist, sexist, trivial little men who failed to address problems that should have been apparent to them on the other. He achieves this beautifully in a reader friendly style. As someone who has been alienated by the 'sainthood' view, Ellis raised my opinion of the founding leaders showing them to be pragmatic, hardworking lot who made compromises on issues...more

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Sep 18, 2009 Steven Peterson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Joseph Ellis has already authored a number of very well received books on early American history: Founding Brothers, American Sphinx (focusing on Thomas Jefferson), and His Excellency (about George Washington). This book is yet another very nice contribution to our understanding of the period from the Declaration of Independence through the early 19th Century. The subtitle, perhaps, says a great detail about the content of this book: "Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic." Elli...more Joseph Ellis has already authored a number of very well received books on early American history: Founding Brothers, American Sphinx (focusing on Thomas Jefferson), and His Excellency (about George Washington). This book is yet another very nice contribution to our understanding of the period from the Declaration of Independence through the early 19th Century. The subtitle, perhaps, says a great detail about the content of this book: "Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic." Ellis notes in his Foreword that (page xi): "This is a story, then, about tragedy as well as triumph, indeed about their mutual and inextricable coexistence."

At the outset, he observes some of the great accomplishments of the Revolution and Founding: the colonies won their independence from the greatest power of the day; the Founders created the first large scale republic; they created a secular state (although I would argue that Ellis overstates matters somewhat with this statement); they divided power among states and the national government; they developed political parties as channels for ongoing debate (although, again, the Founders thought that party was evil, and their development was not understood at the time in such glowing terms). The tragedies? An unwillingness to address slavery and the status of Native Americans. In simplest terms, this represents what this book is about, the development of a new nation and innovative ways of organizing governance--coupled with inherent strains that created their own problems.

One of the special talents of Ellis is his richly drawn characters. Here, Washington, once more, is drawn nicely by Ellis, so that he is not the cardboard figure that often shows up in high school textbooks. Just so, John Adams is nicely portrayed in his complexity--vastly talented, a little uncertain of his place, someone who spent enormous energy on defending his place in American history. Vignettes about the shortest American President, James Madison, and his unusual political brilliance, are telling. One nicely drawn point here: how Madison finally convinced an originally resistant George Washington to be one of Virginia's delegates to the Constitutional Convention.

He spends time on key episodes, such as Washington's dawning realization that, to win the Revolutionary War, he must fight a defensive war, going against everything he wanted to do. Or the machinations of producing a document overthrowing the American government under its first Constitution, The Articles of Confederation (with Madison as a key player). The various historical set pieces conclude with the Louisiana Purchase, under Jefferson's presidency.

In his brief Afterword, he contends that (page 241): "The American Founding lasted for twenty-eight years, from 1775 to 1803. The point? In that historically brief point in time, there was created on this continent a new nation, operating on principles not seen in the family of nation-states at that time.

While I do have some quibbles about this book (as noted earlier), this is a very well done analysis of what happened in the critical era from 1775 to 1803. The reader will have his or her understanding of the Founding challenged and invigorated by this book. Even though I disagree with some elements in Ellis' argument, I am nonetheless impressed with his work and, by grappling with it, have a better sense of what was at stake in that short period of time that he explores.
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Jun 29, 2009 Brian rated it 4 of 5 stars

I found this book to be very educational and a quick read. So much gets glossed over in our education on the founding fathers, and you develop these unrealistic images of them. Its more fascinating to read about what they were really like and how things actually went down. I gained a much greater appreciation of the dilema of how to balance state power vs. federal power, especially when you're trying to overthrow a monarchy but you need to organize a united army. I never realized how close we we...more

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Apr 14, 2009 Marcus rated it 4 of 5 stars

American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic by Joseph J. Ellis

Joseph Ellis is fast becoming one of the leading history writers for mainstream America. I do not say this to belittle his work, but rather to praise it. Ellis is able to take the events and turn them into a comprehensive story. The purpose of this selection is to tell the story of the formative years of the American Republic. Each chapter discusses a specific event in American history. He then uses each...more

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Apr 07, 2011 Nathan rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: franklin-library, history

A quick but dense little book; a lot of questions raised, not so many answered. Ellis justifies this less-than-exhaustive study by offering the prefatory disclaimer that the founding era of America, and the foremost figures of that era, were far more complicated than history generally gives them credit for. While the breadth of that statement makes it hard to argue with, it also makes the study rather bootless and unremarkable.

Ellis does give a portrait of early America remarkable for its detai...more

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Dec 02, 2010 Don Stanton rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Without a doubt one of the finest works i have ever read books on American history. I have read a lot.This book spends it time in the crucial phases of the developmental of out system of government from it's first days to past Monroe.
These men we giants and I doubt that there are few living in our political system that would even come close to what these men took on without spin-misters, corrupt media and days false adds.
Jeopardy Answer: John Adams. The question WHO was referred to as "as the A...more

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Feb 03, 2010 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a first rate civics lesson. Ellis leads us through a pretty scholarly look at the motivations of those involved in the creation of the American republic from 1775 to 1803. He takes a careful look at the contradictions that arose as a result of the press for "justice and liberty for all". The tragedy spoken of in the title is the fact that American Indians and slaves were left as outsiders to this process. This was a difficult and ugly truth for many of the great men responsible for the...more

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Jul 04, 2010 Dustin Allison rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book not only increased my knowledge about how the US came about, I also found it quite applicable to our current political environment. There are so many commonly held beliefs about the Constitution floating around that on closer examination can only be characterized as misconceptions. The idea, for instance, that the founding fathers were a collection of like minded individuals who all agreed that government was bad... Instead, the main idea I came away with is that by comprimising, the f...more

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Feb 05, 2009 Bookmarks Magazine added it

Reviewers embraced American Creation for the same reason they enjoyed Ellis's previous books: his treatment of the Founding Fathers is neither idolatrous nor iconoclastic. He portrays them as the fascinating, complex, and human characters they really were. Some historians disagreed with details of Ellis's interpretation, but they tended to emphasize that, like the founders themselves, Ellis has created a useful framework in which the ideas of the Revolutionary period can be discussed. Ellis's pr

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Jan 04, 2009 Tom rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was an excellent book and a high quality audio CD. I was somewhat concerned when I saw this book was being read by the same reader as American Lion: A Biography of President Andrew Jackson, a less rewarding experience than I was hoping for. Fortunately, this was not the case.

For starters, this was an unabridged audio recording, so every word Ellis put down (including chapter headings) was read. For another, Ellis' style is smooth and moves chronologically. About the only bad thing I could...more

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Jan 07, 2012 R.L. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, history, history-united-states, kindle

American history during the years 1775 to 1803. It's been a long time since I read a history book, but this one was interesting enough to make me want to read more.

The book is heavily footnoted. Some of the references point the way to some interesting-sounding books about this period of history:

A look at the Revolution from the British point-of-view
A biography of Alexander Hamilton
More about the Louisiana Purchase

A couple of things that I'll remember about this book:
1. History isn't a dry colle...more

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Dec 06, 2011 Christopher rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

This is a good book the titanic achievements and colossal failures of the founding fathers, specifically Washington, Madison, Jefferson, and John Adams. Other lesser-known founders, like Hamilton and Henry Knox, also make appearances in this book. Ellis focuses on 6 key events between the years of 1775 and 1803. Each one of these stories reveals their genius and their frail humanity. My only criticism is that it isn't very detailed. While certainly well written, there are times when you wish Ell...more

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Jun 21, 2011 Lili rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-from-the-library

I only really appreciated the section on the evolution of the Native American policy; mostly because I had never been exposed to any of that material, partly because I'm a sucker for foreign policy stories, and partly because I may be in love with Henry Knox.

Without a table of contents, I understood the book to be roughly divided into five sections: the war of Revolution, the great Constitutional debate, Native American policy, evolution of the two-party system, and the Louisiana purchase.

I pref...more

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Jan 31, 2009 Eunice Schroeder rated it 4 of 5 stars

Fascinating and a joy to read, like Ellis's other books. Ellis's thesis is that the founding of the US, 1775 to 1803, was both triumph and tragedy. He develops this idea by means of separate stories, including the failed attempt by Henry Knox and George Washington, during the latter's presidency, to develop a truly just policy toward the native Americans east of the Mississippi that would have prevented their virtual extinction. The last chapter explores Jefferson's role in the Louisiana Purchas...more

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Apr 07, 2008 Russ rated it 3 of 5 stars

Interesting tidbits about three areas of the early days of the Republic(Madison's thoughts on how the Constitution should be written, the handling of the "Indian" issue, and the Louisiana Purchase). Though well written the assembly of the subjects seemed kind of random. It's almost as if the author needed a few extra bucks so he threw this book together.

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Oct 15, 2009 Justin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: on-my-bookshelf

Inserting everything that you probably should have studied in you early American History class, Ellis does an excellent job analyzing most of the major decisions and controversies in early American governance from the forming of the Continental Army through the Louisiana purchase. He alternates between analyzing events most students would be loosely familiar with (such as the debate over the constitution) and controversies likely less familiar or much discussed in class such as the early treatme...more

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Jun 02, 2013 Ken rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: history-geo-pol

As one who is thoroughly fed up with our current political paralysis and small-minded partisanship, I have often wished our politicos shared a common passion for greatness as did the revolutionary generation. This book certainly dispels that notion.

In Founding Brothers Ellis focused on their deep bonds. In American Creation he looks through the opposite lens, describing their competitions and jealousies. In the process he reveals history and stories that will be new to many.

The revolutionaries...more As one who is thoroughly fed up with our current political paralysis and small-minded partisanship, I have often wished our politicos shared a common passion for greatness as did the revolutionary generation. This book certainly dispels that notion.

In Founding Brothers Ellis focused on their deep bonds. In American Creation he looks through the opposite lens, describing their competitions and jealousies. In the process he reveals history and stories that will be new to many.

The revolutionaries are commonly faulted for not addressing the two biggest issues which even they recognized would surely put a blot on their legacy and the nation. Most agreed on the need to end slavery and develop a fair accommodation with the American Indian. Despite their agreement on the moral imperatives, however, they failed to avoid sacrificing them to pragmatic decisions as they went about creating the new nation state. This was a failure and in both instances led to exactly where they predicted, civil war and contentious expansion across the continent. Having said all that, it is hard to see how they could have solved the rubric successfully.

Ellis does a good job of giving us the backstories as to why that is the case. From Jefferson’s wager that Napoleon’s plan to occupy New Orleans would never come to fruition, to his and Washington’s belief that demography would in time accomplish what the fledgling nation could not in securing its future through expansion. The book is rich in these stories, bringing to light seldom heard of characters. The courting of Creek Nation chief McGillivray who (almost) always put the security of his nation first; how a slave leader prophesied the defeat of Napoleon’s army when it tried to subdue French slave colonies in the Caribbean, thus thwarting the plan to occupy New Orleans and leading to the Louisiana Purchase; the designs and strategies of France and Spain to leave America with a sliver of the east coast as they contested for the continent and its promise, and a host of other stories.

The stories the author highlights, including the Federalist / Republican divide, the irony of Jefferson's grand exercise of executive power in executing the Louisiana Purchase, and the tension between what the founders believed to be right and the compromises they made are instructive and illustrative of today's quandary. Nothing much has changed, so it seems, other than the time and issue of the moment. Politics is still politics, as they say.

As far as history telling goes this is a good read, but it does not equal Founding Brothers. In that volume Ellis simply told the story, in Creation there is an undertone of opinion and aloofness that does not serve well. But, it will be an enjoyable journey for the casual fan of history who wants to refresh his or her appreciation for the beginnings of the American story.
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Aug 17, 2012 Phil rated it 5 of 5 stars

Joseph J. Ellis reviews the history of five events that significantly affected the founding of the United States. He uses these events to illustrate how those who were involved in creating this country were flawed characters, but nevertheless came up with a plan for governing America that has lasted now for nearly 240 years, and which has become a symbol of freedom all over the world.

Ellis starts with the beginning of the Revolution and events leading up to it. He goes on to describe General Was...more

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Apr 03, 2009 Bruce McKenzie rated it 4 of 5 stars

To me, this provided a more "up close and personal" viewpoint of the thought processes, passions and contributions of several of the key "founding fathers" as opposed to my previous impressions and text book understanding. Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Adams, George Washington are the primary players here. I read this in Sept. 2008, at the height of the 2008 Presidential race, which provided a very interesting perspective to me of modern American politics and argument. One...more

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Sep 02, 2010 Joseph rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

This was an interesting book in a lot of ways. First I will talk about the good stuff. The writing was superb and it flowed very well within the capters and was just well done. The author really chose topics for each chapter and talked about how the founding fathers really dealt with them, etc. For a history buff there was some great behind the scene things that were interesting to know. That I enjoyed it very much.

The one thing that sort of bothered me was that each chapter kind of felt like it...more

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Nov 04, 2012 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobooks, nonfiction, history

I really enjoyed this book and found it to be refreshing, especially as a read during an major election. I feel a bit better about the constant partisan arguments, lies and exaggerations, posturing, etc. The debate is part of the point of how our democracy is set up and our beloved founding fathers engaged in the same partisan lies and exaggerations that parties engage in today. I'm not saying it's right--I'm only saying there is a bit of relief in knowing we've made it through before and we can...more

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Jan 11, 2009 Lorenzo Pilla rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

Not as engrossing as "Founding Brothers", also by Ellis, but a very readable and informative history of the young American republic. This one deals with the tension between those who favored a loose confederation of states (e.g., Jefferson & Madison) and those who wanted a strong central government (Hamilton & Adams). Ellis details the somewhat accidental creation of the first American political parties, and the attempts to deal with native Americans and slavery. Both "American Creation"...more

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Nov 20, 2008 Kaitlyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

After the historic Obama win, I felt the need to read this book by one of my favorite American historians, Joseph Ellis. In his true page-turner fashion, he provides rich analysis and accounts of the great "republican experiment" that shifted the global paradigm of state vs. federal sovereignty, introduced the art of space-and-time guerilla warfare during the rebellion, failed to stop the demographic invasion of whites into Indian territory, gave rise to political parties that forever changed th...more

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Nov 20, 2008 Meri rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: lifelong-learners, history, united-states

Joseph Ellis is a bit of a snob, but he's justified. His extensive knowledge of early U.S. History is on full display in this retelling of our country's inception. He provides the most mature interpretation of our founding that I've seen, not ignoring its obvious flaws (slavery and Native Americans, for anyone who hasn't been appropriately shamed), but neither concentrating solely on them. He paints the founders as intelligent men, sensitive to the enlightened rhetoric of their time, but hypocri...more

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Aug 10, 2009 Lara rated it 4 of 5 stars

I think I've read every book by Joseph Ellis - each of his biographies of the founding fathers (Washington, Adams and Jefferson) and of course "Founding Brothers" which was excellent. "American Creation" was in the same vein of "Founding Brothers" - telling anecdotes about events during the Revolutionary War period and the first 25 years of the Republic. Ellis is very readable - not at all stuffy, which can be a danger given the subject matter. I liked this book's emphasis on the Native American...more

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About Joseph J. Ellis

Joseph J. Ellis, a professor of history at Mount Holyoke College, is a nationally recognized scholar of American history from colonial times through the early decades of the Republic. The author of seven books, he is recipient of the National Book Award in Nonfiction for American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson and the Pulitzer Prize for Founding Brothers. He lives in Massachusetts.

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Books by Joseph J. Ellis

Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation

American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson

Passionate Sage: The Character and Legacy of John Adams

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