Synopses & Reviews
In this brilliantly illuminating group portrait of the men who came to be known as the Founding Fathers, the incomparable Gordon Wood has written a book that seriously asks, ?What made these men great???and shows us, among many other things, just how much character did in fact matter. The life of each?Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, Hamilton, Madison, Paine?is presented individually as well as collectively, but the thread that binds these portraits together is the idea of character as a lived reality. They were members of the first generation in history that was self-consciously self-made?men who understood that the arc of lives, as of nations, is one of moral progress.
Review
Shrewdly argued . . . powerful. (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times)
Review
If we can't turn back the clock, at least we can enjoy a master historian's refreshing reassessment of seven men whose legacies live on. . . . It has the integrity and, yes, the eccentricity of the Founders it celebrates. (The Weekly Standard)
Review
Of those writing about the founding fathers, [Gordon Wood] is quite simply the best. (
The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Synopsis
A New York Times bestseller In this brilliantly illuminating group portrait of the men who came to be known as the Founding Fathers, the incomparable Gordon Wood has written a book that seriously asks, What made these men great, and shows us, among many other things, just how much character did in fact matter. The life of each, Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, Hamilton, Madison, Paine, is presented individually as well as collectively, but the thread that binds these portraits together is the idea of character as a lived reality. They were members of the first generation in history that was self-consciously self-made men who understood that the arc of lives, as of nations, is one of moral progress.
Lin-Manuel Miranda's smash Broadway musical Hamilton has sparked new interest in the Revolutionary War and the Founding Fathers. In addition to Alexander Hamilton, the production also features George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Aaron Burr, Lafayette, and many more.
Look for Gordon's most recent book, Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.
Synopsis
A
New York Times bestseller
Of those writing about the founding fathers, Gordon Wood] is quite simply the best. --The Philadelphia Inquirer
In this brilliantly illuminating group portrait of the men who came to be known as the Founding Fathers, the incomparable Gordon Wood has written a book that seriously asks, What made these men great, and shows us, among many other things, just how much character did in fact matter. The life of each, Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, Hamilton, Madison, Paine, is presented individually as well as collectively, but the thread that binds these portraits together is the idea of character as a lived reality. They were members of the first generation in history that was self-consciously self-made men who understood that the arc of lives, as of nations, is one of moral progress.
Lin-Manuel Miranda's smash Broadway musical Hamilton sparked new interest in the Revolutionary War and the Founding Fathers. In addition to Alexander Hamilton, the production also features George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Aaron Burr, Lafayette, and many more.
Look for Gordon's 2017 release, Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson.
About the Author
Elegant . . . absorbing . . . from one of our leading scholars of the American Revolution. (The Washington Post Book World)Shrewdly argued . . . powerful. (Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times)Illuminating . . . poignant. (Jon Meacham, The New York Times Book Review)If we can't turn back the clock, at least we can enjoy a master historian's refreshing reassessment of seven men whose legacies live on. . . . It has the integrity and, yes, the eccentricity of the Founders it celebrates. (The Weekly Standard)Of those writing about the founding fathers, [Gordon Wood] is quite simply the best. (The Philadelphia Inquirer)