Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, Hamilton, Adams, and Madison--together
they are best known as an intimate cadre of daring, brilliant men
credited with our nation's founding. But does this group tell the whole
story? In his widely praised new history of the roots of American
patriotism, celebrated author Ray Raphael expands the historical canvas
to reveal an entire generation of patriots who pushed for independence,
fought a war, and set the United States on its course--giving us an
evangelizing introduction to the American Revolution (Booklist).
Called entertaining yet informative by Library Journal, Founders
brings to life seven historical figures whose stories anchor a sweeping
yet intimate history of the Founding Era, from the beginnings of unrest
in 1761 through the passage of the Bill of Rights thirty years later.
Here we follow the intertwined lives of George Washington and a private
soldier in his army. America's richest merchant, who rescued the nation
from bankruptcy, goes head to head with a peripatetic revolutionary who
incited rebellion in seven states. Rounding out the company is a richly
nuanced cast that includes a common village blacksmith, a conservative
enslaver with an abolitionist son, and Mercy Otis Warren, the most
politically engaged woman of the time.
A master narrative with unprecedented historical scope, Founders will
forever change our image of this most crucial moment in America's past.
