Virtue, Valor, and Vanity: The Founding Fathers and the Pursuit of Fame

See the Founding Fathers as you never have before.

Their ambitions, intrigues, and jealousies shaped the birth of the nation, but they overcame their foibles and imperfections to throw off the chains of tyranny and form a more perfect union. We think of them now as faces on money or statues on pedestals, and, as Burns illustrates in luminous prose, that's exactly what they wanted to be.

They all possessed astonishing brilliance, but many had large egos and more than just a little vanity, especially John Adams, who never felt he received his public due and often complained in his letters about the unjust fame of his peers.

Interest in the Founding Fathers has never been greater, and, more than just the life of one or two men, Virtue, Valor, & Vanity presents all of them with wisdom and candor. For example, history remembers Patrick Henry as the author of the patriotic call to arms "Give me liberty, or give me death!" but, at the beginning of his life in the public eye, he shamelessly traded integrity for renown.

In this fresh, informative work, Burns brings the Founding Fathers down off their pedestals to reveal the flesh-and-blood men — vain and modest, sensitive and stubborn, brilliant and ambitious — who overcame their faults and squabbles to establish a new nation that would be a paragon of governance. For the armchair historian, here is an exciting new look at our country's origins.

"Historian and Fox News TV host Burns (Infamous Scribblers) opens his second study of Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, Hamilton and Henry with a study of ancient Rome and perhaps the founding fathers' greatest influence, the orator, essayist, 'public official and public nuisance' Cicero, who 'worked at renown' and got it. While each man had his reasons and motivations, all of the founding fathers sought fame for themselves as much as they sought 'a nation that would provide the greatest good and the most opportunity for as many of its citizens as possible.' Burns provides personal profiles of each in the service of this thesis: Hamilton, beginning from humble roots, had a sharp temper that led to his early demise; Adams was insecure; Franklin was the problem solver and the 'first true American celebrity'; Washington was even-handed and well-respected; and Jefferson was 'the most famous of the group not to know what to make of his fame.' Discussion of each personality with respect to ambition, vanity, modesty, jealousy, image and myth will capture the imagination of most any history buff, but will leave the casual reader with scatter-shot impressions." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Currently host of Fox News Watch, broadcast journalist Burns is a former NBC News correspondent and Today Show pundit, and winner of an Emmy Award for media criticism. He offers a new perspective on the Founding Fathers which considers several human aspects of this extraordinary group of individuals, including their attitudes toward ambition, vanity, modesty, jealousy, image, and embellishment of the truth. Illustrated with 13 b&w portrait reproductions, this academic text is accessible to the general reader interested in American history. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

A fresh look at the Founding Fathers, whose broad vision, extraordinary altruism, rare courage, and dedication resulted in a remarkable new concept of government.

Eric Burns hosts Fox News Watch. A former NBC News correspondent and Today Show pundit, he appears regularly as a commentator for Entertainment Tonight and hosts A&E's Arts & Entertainment Revue. He won an Emmy Award for media criticism, and the Washington Journalism Review named him one of the best writers in the history of broadcast journalism. He lives in Westport, Connecticut.