Justinian's Reviews > American Dialogue: The Founders and Us

2019-01 – American Dialogue: The Founders and Us (Audiobook) Joseph Ellis (Author) Arthur Morey (Reader) 2018. 304 Pages.

I saw the author talk about this book on Book – TV. The book talk was interesting and captivating. The author presented it as an ongoing discussion between several of the Founding Fathers and ourselves. The four Founding Fathers in this dialogue are: Thomas Jefferson on Race, John Adams on Equality, James Madison on Rule of Law, and George Washington on Foreign Policy. The author states that intertwined are the two great American stains …slavery and actions against Native Americans. Each of these sections is divided into a Then and Now. I enjoyed the format, and I enjoyed the book while I was reading it. It has not lingered with me though. I think this has more to do with a familiarity with the topics and material before I encountered this book. Nothing, or very little was new to me, had I not been as read in the founders as I am this book would have been startling. The author does a good job of offering correction of the common views of Jefferson. The author focuses on the split between the expressed thoughts of Jefferson and his actual deeds. The most interesting aspect of the chapter dealing with George Washington and foreign policy is that the views expressed by Washington in totality … his farewell address and all of his other known letters and actions indicate that Washington knew the Young Republic needed space and time to grow ... that it was struggling just to contend with the conflicts between the Native Americans and his own citizenry … much less any hope of victory against a determined foreign foe ... two which (Spain and England) still lingered along the edges of the Republic. Washington meant his words not to cover all time but until the nation could defend and exert herself on par with other powers. This is a theme throughout. That the founders knew we needed to stabilize and grow. The US Constitution was meant to be a document capable of growing and evolving with the nation … not static words, thoughts, or dictum. A good book for serious students and a great book for those who have not encountered the founding era since secondary school.