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Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation
by Joseph J. Ellis
by Joseph J. Ellis
A wonderful book... save for one item that bothers me so much I give it a 3-star review instead of 4. Joseph J. Ellis tries to convince us that these great men were "posing" for history; that they knew the historic significance of everything they did, and wanted to set a standard for generations to follow.
I respectfully disagree, and prefer David McCullough's approach to history. Speaking at Brigham Young Univeristy in 2005, McCullough said:
"[N]obody ever lived in the past. Jefferson, Adams, George Washington—they didn’t walk around saying, “Isn’t this fascinating living in the past? Aren’t we picturesque in our funny clothes?” They were living in the present, just as we do. The great difference is that it was their present, not ours. And just as we don’t know how things are going to turn out, they didn’t either."
I propose that what we now call the "posing" and "posturing" of great men three centuries ago was more an effort to refine themselves and be the highest quality men they could be, as opposed to being so worried about history would record them. The drive to continually improve oneself isn't as popular an idea in our current world - and may never be popular again. I wish Joseph Ellis represented this as an essential trait in the Art of Manliness, rather than saying they were constantly looking into the generations ahead, wanting to be considered as giants. Their magnitude came from efforts to improve their person; not from worrying about the future generations.
I respectfully disagree, and prefer David McCullough's approach to history. Speaking at Brigham Young Univeristy in 2005, McCullough said:
"[N]obody ever lived in the past. Jefferson, Adams, George Washington—they didn’t walk around saying, “Isn’t this fascinating living in the past? Aren’t we picturesque in our funny clothes?” They were living in the present, just as we do. The great difference is that it was their present, not ours. And just as we don’t know how things are going to turn out, they didn’t either."
I propose that what we now call the "posing" and "posturing" of great men three centuries ago was more an effort to refine themselves and be the highest quality men they could be, as opposed to being so worried about history would record them. The drive to continually improve oneself isn't as popular an idea in our current world - and may never be popular again. I wish Joseph Ellis represented this as an essential trait in the Art of Manliness, rather than saying they were constantly looking into the generations ahead, wanting to be considered as giants. Their magnitude came from efforts to improve their person; not from worrying about the future generations.
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Larry
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Jul 07, 2011 11:54am
the self improvement industry is huge with book store shelves bulging with offers and of course these men knew they were revolutionairies trying something for the first time in the history of the world. They knew every step might fail but if they succeeded it would set an example man kind is still fascinated by
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I didn't get that impression at all. Certainly the last chapter regarding the letters between Jefferson and Adams is such an instance of "posing for posterity," however, as they heavily implied to each other that very thing. They kept those letters for posterity, and in knowing this they wrote with it in mind. Another such instance would be Washington. Certainly if one were in his place they would be conscious of their own legacy, or what would be the long-term impact or precedents they would set. Did they make every decision thusly?
No, but these men were enlightened readers of the post-rennaisance, who studied the works of the Greeks and Romans and Europeans who came centuries before them, all of which also "posed for posterity" from time to time.
As far as your comments regarding self-improvement, these guys prided themselves on studying all sorts of subjects. For instance, Jefferson in particular had thousands of books that he'd read or curated at Monticello. [www.moniticello.org]
Personally, I think that the points you made were not a major part of the central theme or overarching narrative presented in the book.
