<![CDATA[American Creation: Library Edition]]>

false <![CDATA[American Creation: Library Edition]]> 196717 7 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. 190264 30 10 2007 American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies in the Founding of the Republic total:523|5:122|4:240|3:145|2:11|1:5| 523 2032 987 147 4 3 false false Mon Nov 10 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Oct 24 16:30:51 -0700 2008 Mon Nov 10 20:08:16 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Mon Jun 09 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 28 15:46:20 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 28 17:53:40 -0700 2008
His portraits of Jefferson, Madison, Adams, and Washington are...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 03 13:39:38 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 03 14:39:48 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Fri Sep 18 16:41:56 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 18 16:42:13 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 29 08:22:02 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 29 08:36:03 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon May 19 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 14 08:10:15 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 14 08:10:50 -0700 2009
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 th...more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Feb 05 09:55:13 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 09:55:13 -0800 2009 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 E...

more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Jan 03 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Dec 24 11:26:54 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 04 08:33:58 -0800 2009 American Lion: A Biography of President Andrew Jackson, a less rewarding experience than I was hoping for. Fortunately, this was not the case.

For ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 31 18:42:38 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 31 18:56:22 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Mon Apr 07 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Mar 30 13:48:56 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 07 07:29:46 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Oct 15 19:23:52 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 15 19:30:06 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Sep 22 06:46:55 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 22 06:56:24 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Apr 03 12:04:21 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 03 12:18:54 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 11 10:48:45 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 11 11:01:33 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Nov 20 22:14:10 -0800 2008 Thu Nov 20 22:24:25 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Nov 10 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Oct 29 12:57:38 -0700 2008 Thu Nov 20 14:06:41 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Aug 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 10 12:44:13 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 10 12:48:07 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jun 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed May 27 22:49:59 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 08 17:52:52 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 06 19:23:12 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 06 19:32:28 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Nov 20 07:09:47 -0800 2008 Thu Nov 20 07:14:49 -0800 2008 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=3619055