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Founding Brothers Essay

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In a thrilling historical account, readers encounter a young fragile nation at the hand of great men only divided by their opinions on what such a nation should become. In Founding Brothers’ Joseph Ellis chose to explore a unique moment in the American history when a single wrong move from any of the founders could have destroyed the fragile union killing the republic they had worked so hard to create. Once the Revolutionary War was over, America was facing a unique battle at the home front which was meant to decide the fate of the US. This was a battle of intellect and crucial to the survival of the United States with the likes of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Aaron Burr, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton leading the charge. These …show more content…

At that moment, the outcome of a civil war would have been catastrophic to the unity of the nation hence they unanimously agreed that the Federal Government was incapable of resolving the issue. The outcome was accepted by both the Northern and the Southern sides hence cooling the rising tension that threatened to tear the country apart. Numerous actions of wisdom and sound judgment just like this one are explored in the book including when Washington decides to step down from the presidency abandoning power to preserve the unity of the republic. In the same acts of nobility and understanding, the enmity between Adams and Jefferson subsides and they eventually strike a partnership. “They were the odd couple of the American Revolution,” which is precisely why they worked so well together” (Ellis, 2003 pg. 163). After drift apart at the start, the two men rekindle their friendship accepting that differing political opinions were important in shaping a nation. Their ideas on the policies might have differed but in the end, their correspondence and renewed friendship show that these differences were important in defining a democratic

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