This section of the book provides a 'through a glass darkly' look that must be read if you call yourself American, red or blue strain. What an opening salvo, especially when paired with the ascendance of a black man to the White House (Obama) and the convulsive reaction (Trump) those eight years unleashed. Ellis shows us how the young Jefferson was more idealistic than the older one, how close Jefferson came to nipping the race question in the bud before it could flower into civil war almost a century later, and how Jefferson, for all his credentials, did indeed consider whites superior to blacks, despite Sally Hemings being his mistress for years and years. In the Jefferson pairing, Ellis tackles RACE, America's deeply-ingrained sickness that just. With American Dialogue, a back-and-forth between then and now, you've come to the right place. Translation: If the ascendance of ignorance and fear in American politics bothers you, it's best that you fight it with a healthy dose of knowledge. Turn on your TV or read an independent newspaper (while you can) and you'll see what I mean. Many of the things the Founding Fathers feared are now not only out of the sewers, but openly negotiating daylight. Each chapter focuses on a founding father (one each on Jefferson, John Adams, Madison, and Washington) and is paired with a chapter on the here and now, specifically how that founding father's moment in history has evolved to our present-day situation.Īnd what a situation! It's good the expression 'rolling in his grave' is merely figurative, because if it were for keeps, these poor four would get no sleep. Ellis, more history books, but this is only half that. One would expect, from Pulitzer Prize-winning author Joseph J.

Through these juxtapositions-and in his hallmark dramatic and compelling narrative voice-Ellis illuminates the obstacles and pitfalls paralyzing contemporary discussions of these fundamentally important issues. He discusses Jefferson and the issue of racism, Adams and the specter of economic inequality, Washington and American imperialism, Madison and the doctrine of original intent.

Ellis focuses the conversation on the often-asked question 'What would the Founding Fathers think?' He examines four of our most seminal historical figures through the prism of particular topics, using the perspective of the present to shed light on their views and, in turn, to make clear how their now centuries-old ideas illuminate the disturbing impasse of today's political conflicts. The story of history is a ceaseless conversation between past and present, and in American Dialogue Joseph J. The award-winning author of Founding Brothers and The Quartet now gives us a deeply insightful examination of the relevance of the views of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and John Adams to some of the most divisive issues in America today.

Founding brothers author