Introduction
The major thesis of Founding Brothers is brotherhood. In his insightful analysis of the founding of the United States of America, Joseph Ellis explains that George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton and other founding fathers were joined together in their fight for the establishment of the now powerful country in the world. Despite having divergent personalities, these heroes came together to share their philosophies, devotions and thoughts on how best they could establish a one united nation.
This paper gives a critical analysis of the struggles of the founding fathers during the creation of USA. Despite coming from different backgrounds, these nationalists came together to fight for the liberation of the country before uniting all the citizens. As the author explains, this would be a very hard task which would require a lot of efforts to accomplish. However, challenging it was, they were able to succeed.
How it was done
As recorded in this book, the political climate in USA was quite hostile. One of the major issues that confronted these founding fathers was colonialism. The conquering of the country by the British imperials tore the country a part. First, it created a great rift between the northern and southern territories. This made it hard to unite all the leaders since they had diverse views on nationalism. Besides, there was need to fight the colonialists and establish a united nation. Although they knew that it would not be accomplished, the founding fathers dedicated their resources to liberate their people. Fortunately, as fate would have it; they managed to win the revolution war before getting an opportunity to assume political authority. As the author explains, “All the vanguard members of the revolutionary generation developed a keen sense of their historical significance while they were still making history on which their reputations would rest” (P.18). This explains why George Washington, John Adams and Jefferson Thomas became the first, second and third presidents respectively. Even if it was a very difficult endeavor, these founding fathers managed to attain political independence from the British and record a tremendous success as a result of the following factors:
In chapter two, the Dinner, the author demonstrates how the leaders decided to put their differences a part and come together for a noble course. Having realized that the country as greater than any of them, the three leaders decided to reunite in 1790 when Jefferson invited Hamilton and Madison for a party. It was during this time that they realized the role of unity and sat in a table to discuss matters of national interest. They were compelled to come up with a policy which would be used to cater for the interests of the northern and southern states. As Ellis examines, they use this opportunity amicably agree on how to repay the national debt and establish the nation’s capital in the most conducive location. In deed, this was a milestone in the development of the country. Although they had been disunited, the three leaders were brought together by this dinner. Thus, they pt aside their personal differences for the sake of achieving their long term goals. The same initiative had been witnessed in 1787 when these leaders organized for the Constitutional Convention to draft a comprehensive version of the Articles of Confederations which later became the highest law of the land and a reference to all the subsequent independent countries in the whole world. Despite having conflicting political ideologies, these leaders compromised their positions for the sake of the country.
The “miracle at Philadelphia” was a great initiative which made it easier for these revolutionists to succeed in their agenda. As influential and experienced negotiators, they knew exactly what to do for the people. In this regard, they used this opportunity to come up with a harmonious constitution which would appeal to the common citizens. The major goal of this constitution was to serve the interests of the citizens, not the leaders. Because of this, an amendment was made not to favor the federalist or state ideologies. However, it was crafted to be accommodative and give more power to the people. This was appealing because it won the confidence of the Americans. Since they felt that they were an integral part of the transformation, they supported these nationalists in their pursuit for the creation of a new sovereign country. The same situation is recorded in the Collaboration in which Jefferson and Adams ended their long time friendship which began during the fight for revolutions.
The establishment of an American nation was so turbulent. However, as the author explains, personal relationships were crucial. This is clearly manifested in Friendship in which the leaders proved how united they were. Although they had become arch rivals, Jefferson and Adams decided to renew their friendship for the sake of country’s peace. It was so unfortunate that the two great leaders had become enemies while they had government responsibilities. As national leaders, they were supposed to forget about any competition and work together for the sake of the country’s development. However, as the author reports, this hostility came an ultimate end when the two leaders promised to work as a team. This was good for the prosperity of the country because they took advantage of this opportunity to focus on the country’s past, present and future developments. Unity was paramount in the success of these founding fathers. It is true that they would not record any success if they were not speaking with one voice. Adams said, “You and I ought not to die before we have explained ourselves to one another” (P. 223).
Even if many people believed that it would not be possible to drive away the colonialists and establish an independent nation, these leaders managed to do it. Although it was so challenging, they decided to put aside their personal and political ideologies a part and work towards achieving one goal. Moreover, they were so concerned about the common population.
In conclusion, I would like to point out that the attainment of independence was a legendary accomplishment. Although it was an unimagined experience, it should not be attributed to fate. The founding fathers have a full credit. In fact, they should be commended for their smartness, organization and exemplary leadership skills. Had it not been for them, they wouldn’t be a strong, democratic united USA. Their legacy in formulating an all inclusive constitution was the foundation for the current US constitution. It does not only safeguard the rights, freedoms and responsibilities of the Americans, but also unites them. Leaders like Hamilton condemned disunity when he said, “Tell them from ME, at MY request, for God’s sake, to cease these conversations and threatening about a separation of the Union. It must hang together as long as it can be made to.”(P. 44).
