Abigail De Rousselle
Founding Brothers Critique
Ellis, Joseph J. Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation. New York: Vintage, 2000. Print.
Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis is an award winning book focusing around the post-revolution lives of the Founding Fathers, as they work to keep the newly created republic afloat. Divided into six vignettes each section focuses on a particular time or event in which the Founding Brothers had to work with or against each other in order to achieve the future they each envisioned as best for the United States. What makes Founding Brothers a truly unique book is due to Ellis’ work in making the most accurate representation of the character of these men. None of the Founding …show more content…
Hamilton had created a four-point financial plan to repay the debt and strengthen the United States’ economy, but was having trouble gaining traction. In Chapter Two: The Dinner Ellis follows Thomas Jefferson’s account of a private dinner arranged so that Alexander Hamilton and James Madison could broker a deal to pass Hamilton’s financial plan. The major issue with Hamilton’s plan was the matter of the federal government assuming all state debts therefore requiring all states to help pay off a single debt. This was an issue for most of the southern states since they had already paid most of their debt. But as Hamilton was trying to get is financial plan passed, Madison was trying to convince Congress to place the national capital on the Potomac River, a move he had hoped would give Virginia more power. Thanks to Jefferson’s secret dinner Madison and Hamilton managed to make a compromise that placed the capital on the Potomac, but more importantly caused the approval of Hamilton’s financial plan. As the first financial plan of the United States it made great strides in improving the country’s financial …show more content…
Due to his skills in debate Madison plays an important role in five of the six vindettes, but his main role is in Chapter Three: The Silence. When the Constitution was created passage was put in it stating that Congress could not pass any laws until 1808 that abolished or restricted the slave trade. But in 1790 Congress began receiving petitions that would call for the gradual end of the slave trade or slavery all together, one even being signed by Benjamin Franklin. While most of the northern delegates were thinking of loopholes around passage in the Constitution, the southern delegates, mostly south carolina and georgia, began defending slavery and even threatened secession. Like most Virginians at the time Madison desired an end to slavery but knew that the emancipation of slaves at such an early time would be counter productive for America. So to end all talks on slavery Madison created seven resolutions that would appease the North, the South, and the petitioners. Though the document was heavily revised by Congress before it was approved, it moved slavery off of the political agenda forever or at least until the 1860 elections. By today’s standards we would consider this movement immoral but because of Madison’s resolutions it is possible he saved the Union from and early Civil
Founding Brothers Critique
Ellis, Joseph J. Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation. New York: Vintage, 2000. Print.
Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis is an award winning book focusing around the post-revolution lives of the Founding Fathers, as they work to keep the newly created republic afloat. Divided into six vignettes each section focuses on a particular time or event in which the Founding Brothers had to work with or against each other in order to achieve the future they each envisioned as best for the United States. What makes Founding Brothers a truly unique book is due to Ellis’ work in making the most accurate representation of the character of these men. None of the Founding …show more content…
Hamilton had created a four-point financial plan to repay the debt and strengthen the United States’ economy, but was having trouble gaining traction. In Chapter Two: The Dinner Ellis follows Thomas Jefferson’s account of a private dinner arranged so that Alexander Hamilton and James Madison could broker a deal to pass Hamilton’s financial plan. The major issue with Hamilton’s plan was the matter of the federal government assuming all state debts therefore requiring all states to help pay off a single debt. This was an issue for most of the southern states since they had already paid most of their debt. But as Hamilton was trying to get is financial plan passed, Madison was trying to convince Congress to place the national capital on the Potomac River, a move he had hoped would give Virginia more power. Thanks to Jefferson’s secret dinner Madison and Hamilton managed to make a compromise that placed the capital on the Potomac, but more importantly caused the approval of Hamilton’s financial plan. As the first financial plan of the United States it made great strides in improving the country’s financial …show more content…
Due to his skills in debate Madison plays an important role in five of the six vindettes, but his main role is in Chapter Three: The Silence. When the Constitution was created passage was put in it stating that Congress could not pass any laws until 1808 that abolished or restricted the slave trade. But in 1790 Congress began receiving petitions that would call for the gradual end of the slave trade or slavery all together, one even being signed by Benjamin Franklin. While most of the northern delegates were thinking of loopholes around passage in the Constitution, the southern delegates, mostly south carolina and georgia, began defending slavery and even threatened secession. Like most Virginians at the time Madison desired an end to slavery but knew that the emancipation of slaves at such an early time would be counter productive for America. So to end all talks on slavery Madison created seven resolutions that would appease the North, the South, and the petitioners. Though the document was heavily revised by Congress before it was approved, it moved slavery off of the political agenda forever or at least until the 1860 elections. By today’s standards we would consider this movement immoral but because of Madison’s resolutions it is possible he saved the Union from and early Civil