Curt's Read-Bag: American Creation
Title: American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic
By: Joseph J. Ellis (Knopf, 283 pp.)
Concerning: An analysis of the political and social factors (along with the personalities) at play for six defining incidents in the early decades of the United States, from the vote to declare independence from England to the Louisiana Purchase.
Quote: “The British philosopher and essayist Alfred North Whitehead was probably right to observe that there have been only two instances in the history of Western Civilization when the political leaders of an emerging nation behaved as well as anyone could reasonably expect. The first was Rome under Caesar Augustus and the second was America’s revolutionary generation.”
Verdict: Watching HBO’s “John Adams” series put me in the mood to read another book about the Founding Fathers. I’d heard of this one and had previously read Ellis’ Jefferson book American Sphinx and Founding Brothers. American Creation struck me as not nearly as good as the predecessors: I’m not sure if the book is a lesser effort, or if the others weren’t as good as I remember. Some of the writing is really lame, like this observation about Madison: “How anyone who stood five foot four and weighed 130 pounds could become an American giant is obviously a story about intellectual rather than physical prowess.” (Yes. Obviously.) Perhaps I’ve read as much as I need in this era already, because some of the chapters covered ground that was already pretty familiar to me (ex., Adams driving the movement to declare independence.) I did particularly like the section about the Washington administration’s attempt to negotiate a treaty with the Creek nation (led by the intriguing Alexander McGillivray, a fascinating figure I don’t recall from history books), as well as the one about how Jefferson and Madison essentially developed the first political party as we now know it. I guess it’s time for me to delve into some different historical periods.
By: Joseph J. Ellis (Knopf, 283 pp.)
Concerning: An analysis of the political and social factors (along with the personalities) at play for six defining incidents in the early decades of the United States, from the vote to declare independence from England to the Louisiana Purchase.
Quote: “The British philosopher and essayist Alfred North Whitehead was probably right to observe that there have been only two instances in the history of Western Civilization when the political leaders of an emerging nation behaved as well as anyone could reasonably expect. The first was Rome under Caesar Augustus and the second was America’s revolutionary generation.”
Verdict: Watching HBO’s “John Adams” series put me in the mood to read another book about the Founding Fathers. I’d heard of this one and had previously read Ellis’ Jefferson book American Sphinx and Founding Brothers. American Creation struck me as not nearly as good as the predecessors: I’m not sure if the book is a lesser effort, or if the others weren’t as good as I remember. Some of the writing is really lame, like this observation about Madison: “How anyone who stood five foot four and weighed 130 pounds could become an American giant is obviously a story about intellectual rather than physical prowess.” (Yes. Obviously.) Perhaps I’ve read as much as I need in this era already, because some of the chapters covered ground that was already pretty familiar to me (ex., Adams driving the movement to declare independence.) I did particularly like the section about the Washington administration’s attempt to negotiate a treaty with the Creek nation (led by the intriguing Alexander McGillivray, a fascinating figure I don’t recall from history books), as well as the one about how Jefferson and Madison essentially developed the first political party as we now know it. I guess it’s time for me to delve into some different historical periods.