Founding Partisans
Hamilton, Madison, Jefferson, Adams and the Brawling Birth of American Politics
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To the framers of the Constitution, political parties were a fatal threat to republican virtues. They had suffered the consequences of partisan politics in Britain before the American Revolution, and they wanted nothing similar for America. Yet parties emerged even before the Constitution was ratified, and they took firmer root in the following decade. In Founding Partisans, master historian H. W. Brands has crafted a fresh and lively narrative of the early years of the republic as the Founding Fathers fought one another with competing visions of what our nation would be.
The first party, the Federalists, formed around Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and their efforts to overthrow the Articles of Confederation and make the federal government more robust. Their opponents organized as the Antifederalists, who feared the corruption and encroachments on liberty that a strong central government would surely bring. The Antifederalists lost but regrouped under the new Constitution as the Republicans, led by Thomas Jefferson, whose bruising contest against Federalist John Adams marked the climax of this turbulent chapter of American political history.
The country’s first years unfolded in a contentious spiral of ugly elections and blatant violations of the Constitution. Still, peaceful transfers of power continued, and the nascent country made its way towards global dominance, against all odds. Founding Partisans is a powerful reminder that fierce partisanship is a problem as old as the republic.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
November 7, 2023 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780593749036
- File size: 475086 KB
- Duration: 16:29:45
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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For those who think today's political climate is more partisan than ever, this audiobook will reveal how political disagreements and competing philosophies on the best way to move the nation forward have always been part of our history. Robert Fass brings to this engaging and enlightening history a measured tone that is just right. He captures what must have been highly charged back-and-forths between such luminaries as Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison. Fans of histories about the founding of the U.S. will appreciate how Fass manages to bring to life just how contentious times were as the nation was being formed and battles were taking place over the degree to which the federal government should have power over the 13 states. J.P.S. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine
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