Cassidy Mazelin

Dr. Rauterkus
APUSH
28 August 2013

Founding Brothers
Vivid and unforgettable is what The Boston Globe said about Founding Brothers.
The novel written by Joseph Ellis and published in 2000, tells the different stories of our
founding fathers and how our nation came to be based on choices they made. In the preface of
the novel, Ellis discusses the fear our founding fathers had that the nation wouldn't survive. He
talks about how they constantly worried about how the decisions they made could make or break
the newly-formed country. Founding Brothers is a cleverly written novel that opens up doors
into the history of our nation.
In the first chapter of Founding Brothers, Ellis discusses the Duel between Aaron
Burr and Alexander Hamilton. He describes how both men were casualties after the fact. Burr
was ostracized and ultimately hated by the people for killing their beloved Hamilton. What they
didnt recognize was the period over which the rivalry ran. They had been jabbing at each other
for fifteen years and Burr finally had enough. Or so was thought. Ellis goes on to discuss how the
tellings of events dont match and that historians have been arguing over what the truth really is.
Chapter two is titled The Dinner. Thomas Jefferson hosted a private dinner party to bring Mr.
Madison and Colo. Hamilton to a friendly discussion of the subject(Ellis 49) the subject being
Hamiltons proposal of a financial plan for the recovery of public credit. The story as written by
Jefferson says that everything went smoothly. Hamiltons program would be allowed to pass and

the capital would be moved to a location on the Potomac River. However many details are left
out in Jeffersons story. Ellis points this out and explains his opinion that Jeffersons account had
too much of him in it and not enough of what actually happened. Chapter three discusses the
issue of slavery in the country. It is against everything that the country is said to believe in, but is
ignored as an issue due to the fact that the country was so new and the risk of it breaking apart
was supposedly too high. The ultimate decision was avoided until Lincolns presidency much
later, showing the difficulty the problem was. The fourth chapter is pointed at President
Washington and his retirement from the presidency. Ellis talks about Washingtons belief that a
two term precedent ensured strength of the country and that the decision was made with help of
his hatred for the press and failing health. He also discusses major points of Washingtons
Farewell Address.
Joseph Ellis wrote a very compelling story. He infused his own opinions with fact
allowing for the reader to be engulfed in the story. At some points the wordiness is confusing and
it takes more than one read through to understand what is being said, but that shows the passion
and knowledge Ellis has of the topics he discusses. He also has an affinity for themes. There are
many themes in this novel, one of them really comes through. The theme of friendship is laced
through our countrys history. Many of the decisions made were based on the friendship between
so many of our founding fathers. Ellis chose the events in this novel above so many others
because they each hold a significant theme. In the first story the theme is truth. Had Burr and
Hamilton as well as their hands told the truth about the whole thing, there could have been a
completely different outcome. Slavery was a huge theme of the time and discusses how difficult
it was to make a decision on at so early a time. He discusses how important collaboration is in
the dinner between Jefferson, Madison and Hamilton. The issue of debt has been looming over

our country since the very beginning. The story of Washington speaks to the theme of posterity
as does the preface. All the decisions made determined what was to come for future generations.
Ellis distinctive writing style is what made the novel an interesting read. It kept you thinking and
allowed for more questions to be asked.
Founding Brothers is an excellent example of how history is open for questions. Not
only did Ellis ask and answer his own questions, but he allows the reader to question further and
infers that there is always more research to be done. The novel provides an interesting incite into
why studying history is so important. We cannot determine our future without knowing how we
arrived at where we are at now. The themes shown in the novel are just as important then as they
are today. The founding fathers knew what they were talking about when worrying about how
their decisions affected the growth of our nation. Now it is the job of todays people to worry
about our posterity.