The Quartet
Orchestrating the Second American Revolution, 1783-1789
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4.1 • 161 Ratings
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Founding Brothers tells the unexpected story of America’s second great founding and of the men most responsible—Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, John Jay, and James Madison.
Ellis explains of why the thirteen colonies, having just fought off the imposition of a distant centralized governing power, would decide to subordinate themselves anew. These men, with the help of Robert Morris and Gouverneur Morris, shaped the contours of American history by diagnosing the systemic dysfunctions created by the Articles of Confederation, manipulating the political process to force the calling of the Constitutional Convention, conspiring to set the agenda in Philadelphia, orchestrating the debate in the state ratifying conventions, and, finally, drafting the Bill of Rights to assure state compliance with the constitutional settlement, created the new republic. Ellis gives us a dramatic portrait of one of the most crucial and misconstrued periods in American history: the years between the end of the Revolution and the formation of the federal government.
The Quartet unmasks a myth, and in its place presents an even more compelling truth—one that lies at the heart of understanding the creation of the United States of America.
Customer Reviews
First rate
Compelling prose. Good storyteller. Relevant to our times.
The Quartet
I learned a great deal from Ellis' overview of the goals and hurdles of the four key figures working to produce a groundbreaking constitution. His careful and interesting descriptions of the infighting between dedicated politicians--each with his own regional interests at stake--helped me see the roots of states rights positions in various conflicts in modern times. I am not a historian, but I now have a fuller view of the roots of gun control and anti-tax issues, to name a few, because Ellis sets a full stage of American emotions after the colonies freed themselves from the British monarchy.
Contemporary History
This book sheds light on our current political situation by showing that the conflicts we see today were present at the beginning. In fact it points out in stark relief the built in paradox between federalism and individual autonomy.