The Founding Fathers: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

An excellent, eminently readable, intelligent, and refreshingly balanced introduction to the founding fathers of the United States.Bernstein's treatment of the Founding Fathers excels for three reasons: the quality of the writing, the scholarship of the author, and the fairness of the treatment.First, the sheer quality of the prose is praiseworthy. Writing about such a vast topic in such few pages requires enormous amounts of discipline, and Bernstein strikes this balance masterfully, all with a genuinely "readable" style. With minimal effort, one could finish this book in a single weekend-- while thoroughly enjoying the process.Second, Bernstein's scholarship is apparent on every page. Combining an intimate knowledge of the primary sources with an impressive understanding of the historical scholarship and literature allows for a concise yet comprehensive picture of the founding fathers. Avoiding a simple narrative or chronology, Bernstein demonstrates a gift for moving fluidly from revealing details and tidbits that challenge our preconceived notions only to then take a step back and through dispassionate analysis, consider the meaning and importance of the topics addressed. What we get is so much more than simply "telling the story" of the founding fathers, or a series of biographies. Rather, this book is an analysis of their time and how their actions and notable inactions (read: slavery) affected-- and were interpreted by-- subsequent generations.Lastly, Bernstein succeeds in his goal to "[take] the founding fathers down from their pedestals without knocking them down." This is important, because it's easy to fall prey to the competitive "Hamilton or Jefferson?" mentality, or the equally dangerous tendency to fall to one's knees in praise of these historic figures. Rather, Bernstein treats the founding fathers as simultaneously praiseworthy, deeply flawed, unavoidably human subjects capable of great feats of achievement and hypocrisy.Towards the end of the book, Bernstein quotes a selection of Warren G. Harding's speech at the dedication to the Lincoln Memorial in 1922. Harding's words should guide us in our study of the founding fathers, as they have obviously guided Bernstein in his: "Abraham Lincoln was no superman... Lincoln was a very natural human being, with the frailties mixed with the virtues of humanity. There are neither supermen or demi-gods in the government of kingdoms, empires, or republics. It will be better for our conception of government and its institutions if we will understand this fact."Bernstein understands this fact, and we, the readers, immeasurably benefit from that understanding.

In just 183 pages, Professor Bernstein manages to brilliantly and superbly demonstrate his intense focus and expert scholarship on the founding of our nation, and as such, makes being able to understand the Founding Fathers very readable and enjoyable. We often revere them as gods or larger than life people, but as he himself said, the goal was not to "[knock] them down [from] their pedestals", but to "meet [them] eye to eye" and thereby see them as for who they were really were: humans like us who wanted to better themselves, and their society, towards a brighter future by forging and crafting this idea called America. I have read about them somewhat, but was really looking for a concise and more understandable version of the writings I had read. I took a couple of Political Science classes at my local community college, and so wanted to further that understanding from those courses, and this work fits the bill in that regard, even starting out with an explanation of the origins of the term "founding fathers" (which I had not known about in previous study). I like how Prof. Bernstein has managed to collate the history of the Founding, the Founders and their accomplishments and how said accomplishments and views connect to the present day. I especially like how he, at the end, manages to use five very prominent African-Americans' words to signify that the work that the Founders first set foot upon is still going by, in JFK's words, "a new generation of Americans". I will definitely read this again. Therefore, I rate this work 5 out of 5 stars.

This is a very well written book, one of the best in this series of Very Short Introductions. Still, the author cannot help but elevate and praise the views he himself holds, by, for example, only quoting Democrats and liberals in the final chapter of his book. But then again, he would not be a part-time professor if he could not preach his own political views to his students. Still, I would hope as author he could be less biased, and think more & higher than just the rightness of his narrow political party.

I received this book timely but never read it. I donated it to the library. Nothing wrong with the author or the seller. It's the publisher, Oxford, who put out this very small book with very tiny print. There's really no reason for that in today's market. Someday I would like to read this work and if a publisher comes out with a readable copy where I need not use a magnifying glass I will read it.When I gave it to our local library, the librarian was taken back and blurted, "My! That is small print!" But there may be someone who will take it out to read and enjoy it. A friend in another State had done that even though he found the print very small (he didn't tell me ahead of time and there's no reason he should have since he could read it although with some eye strain as I learned later).I've grown accustomed to "old" books re-printed in tiny type because they are really facsimiles. There's no reason for that either and I try to stay away from them and return them when one slips by. This book is thoroughly modern. Tiny fonts are a thing of the past and in the past were necessitated by available technology and, perhaps, economics. I don't see those obstacles today.

I purchased this for my son's history class, but it looks so interesting that I cannot wait to read it!

interesting informative narrative.

as represented

Good information package on an important group of thinkers - ones whose legacy the modern U.S. rulers have raped like the Nazis raped Nietzsche...

Bought for research purposes, this is a very good value read, by a distinguished historian, in brief format. He clarifies both the historical context, legacy and creation of the reverential legend of the men who created the Constitution and founded modern America. The term Founding Father is surprisingly recent. A very readable analysis which corrects many myths,