American Creation

Front Cover
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, Oct 30, 2007 - History - 304 pages
21 Reviews
Reviews aren't verified, but Google checks for and removes fake content when it's identified
From the first shots fired at Lexington to the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the negotiations for the Louisiana Purchase, Joseph J. 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 explains how the idea of a strong federal government was eventually embraced by the American people, and details the emergence of the two-party system, which stands as the founders’ most enduring legacy.

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. 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 an audiobook that delineates an era of flawed greatness, at a time when understanding our origins is more important than ever.
 

What people are saying - Write a review

User ratings

5 stars
7
4 stars
9
3 stars
5
2 stars
0
1 star
0

Reviews aren't verified, but Google checks for and removes fake content when it's identified

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - Schmerguls - LibraryThing

5673. American Creation Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic, by Joseph J. Ellis (read 1 Feb 2020) This book, published in 2007, is the fourth book by its author I have read. It ... Read full review

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - wagner.sarah35 - LibraryThing

This book serves as a good introduction to the American Revolution and the early years of the American republic. Ellis does not attempt to cover everything, but he does pick out seminal events (the ... Read full review

Contents

The Year
20
The Winter
58
Therguincnt
87
The Treaty
127
The Conspiracy
165
The Purchase 107
207
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 169
269
Copyright

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2007)

Joseph J. Ellis received the Pulitzer Prize for Founding Brothers and the National Book Award for his portrait of Thomas Jefferson, American Sphinx. He is the Ford Foundation Professor of History at Mount Holyoke College. He lives in Amherst, Massachusetts, with his wife, Ellen, and their youngest son, Alex.

Bibliographic information