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4.5
This 2007 "Founding Fathers" book is well-written, well-researched, and infused with interesting touches of new (for the average reader) information. In approximately 272 pages, it provides fairly reasonable coverage of the American Revolution and the Founding era at a decent price. I would rate the book somewhere between three and four stars but will tilt to four stars due to its often unique information and interpretations.Having read many books on this era, I found only one technical “mistake,” that the book reports George Washington died at 10 pm on 14 December 1799. From his personal secretary Tobias Lear’s reports, Washington died between 10 pm and 11 pm. Some reports say he died at 10:20 pm, which jibes with the reputed “death clock” that is said to have been stopped at the moment of Washington’s death, and that now resides at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial. So, my compliments to the excellent research one normally ascribes to the Encyclopedia Britannica people.By a quick count, the book covers 66 topics: 2 women (Abigail Adams and Dolley Madison), 43 men, 19 documents/acts/actions, and 2 concepts (not including three “closer looks”). “These closer looks (second takes) are given to the Declaration of Independence (4 original pages; 4 closer-look pages); Thomas Jefferson (22, 4); Thomas Paine (5, 4); and George Washington (32, 9). You’ll thus note that main characters are given quite a bit of coverage. Other the other hand, somewhat sketchy coverage is given to more than a few individuals, eg Francis Hopkinson (increasingly known for America’s “first flag”), and Roger Sherman (not mentioned is his being one of the five on the committee to write the Declaration of Independence).The book’s title is “Founding Fathers: The Essential Guide to the Men (emphasis Men) Who Made America.” Authoring the book’s introduction, noted historian Joseph Ellis writes: “While there are no agreed-upon criteria for inclusion, membership in this select group customarily requires conspicuous contributions at one or both of the American foundings: during the rebellion against Great Britain, when independence was won, or during the Constitutional Convention, when nationhood was achieved.”So, it is with a very broad vision of Founding Fathers that the book includes two women. Among others of questionable definitional qualification, the book includes Button Quinett, known for signing the Declaration of Independence but mostly for his rare autographs. Nathan Hale is also included, but no General and Secretary of War Henry Knox or General Greene, Washington’s favorite general. No famous foreigners are included: Lafayette, von Steuben, Kosciuszko, or Pulaski. And somewhat arguably, the book gives the “Apostle of Liberty” title to Thomas Jefferson, while other sources give this title to both George Washington and Thomas Paine.I am indebted to this book to what I expect to be an update to my own book, which touches a bit upon the “magic” of Revolutionary Era events having to do with numbers, among them the number 5, which surprising shows up many times in important events. Specifically, as the “Essential Guide” points out, the seminal statement of American culture in the Declaration of Independence has 55 words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” In addition, Thomas Jefferson served 5 years as Ambassador to France. For these two fascinating additions to my collection, I am grateful! FWIW, here's a very small sample of the Revolutionary magic I've found elsewhere for the number 5: The Declaration of Independence had 55 signers under John Hancock. The Constitution had 55 signers.Bottom line, despite a few faults, I think you’ll find the Britannica book, while not ultra-essential, a very enjoyable and worthwhile read.“Character is Key for Liberty!” Check out how “Character, Culture, and Constitution” played “key” roles in the American and French Revolutions: George Washington's Liberty Key: Mount Vernon's Bastille Key – the Mystery and Magic of Its Body, Mind, and Soul, a best-seller at Mount Vernon.
