Description: Looking at prominent leaders such as Washington, Adams, Franklin, Hamilton, Madison, and Monroe, as well as more common people, from backcountry rebels and American Indians to printer Isaiah Thomas, the authors illuminate the range and complexity of the ways in which men and women of the founding generation imagined their future--and made our history.
Review Quotes:
Thomas Jefferson's revolutionary prophecy, described in his iconic letter marking the 50th anniversary of July 4, envisioned a glorious future for America. The young nation had the "power to begin the world" again. In the shadows of his optimism were conflicting narratives and prophecies of doom. These were stories of the Whiskey Rebellion, enslaved African Americans, and dispossessed Native Americans. McDonald and Onuf skillfully weave these conflicting narratives into one that is a new and important contribution to our understanding of the American Revolution and the years that followed.
--Barbara Oberg, Princeton University