Joseph Ellis wrote Founding Brothers in 2000 when a lot of our nations history was still being interpreted. Within the first line of this book he sets a precedent that the way you think about history will be changed forever. The most infamous line in history is quoted in the first line of the text, “No event in American history which was so improbable at the time has seemed so inevitable in retrospect as the American Revolution”(Ellis 3). He takes a new outlook on the lives of America's founding fathers and even a slightly controversial take on the textbooks that interpret these stories differently than what actually happened during these tumultuous time. In the first installment of the book entitled Preface: The Generation, Joseph Ellis writes about his intentions and what he hopes you will gain early on. Ellis does an excellent job in distinguishing what the history books have taught, and educating you on what the real truth is. Ellis divides the book into seven different chapters that discuses a wide range of topics from the most prominent men in our history. These men will not just include George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and James…show more content… “If Revolutionary credentials were the major criteria, Adams was virtually unbeatable,” Ellis writes (Joseph Ellis 164). He continues to explain the characters of the two and explains them as this; “The Adams style was to confront, shout, rant, and then to embrace. The Jefferson style was to evade, maintain pretenses, then convince himself all was well” (Joseph Ellis 170). As of this hilarious portrayal of their character was not enough, Ellis then begins discussing the First Continental Congress and that Adams had supposedly called for George Washington to lead the Continental Army, and for Jefferson to write the Deceleration of Independence. Joseph Ellis takes a peculiar way of showing his opinions and feelings towards John
