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. 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...

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A distinctive portrait of the crescendo moment in American history from the Pulitzer Prize-winning American historian

“Accessible and electric.... [Ellis] crisply covers the decisive and improbable events of 1776.... [A] dramatic slice of history.” —USA Today

The summer months of 1776 witnessed the most consequential events in the story of our country’s...

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER Following Thomas Jefferson from the drafting of the Declaration of Independence to his retirement in Monticello, Joseph J. Ellis unravels the contradictions of the Jeffersonian character.  He gives us the slaveholding libertarian who was capable of decrying mescegenation while maintaing an intimate relationship with his slave, Sally Hemmings; the enemy of government power who exercisdd it audaciously as president;...