Re: OS Book Club Pt II
Finished Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation. Loved it, but I just love the topic. It's split into 6 chapters, each one going into detail on a specific event or circumstance that helps shed light on the issues faced during the early formation of the country and how they dealt with them. Quick takeaways: George Washington is a badass, Thomas Jefferson was talented but suffered due to his fierce ideology; John Adams was pissed even back then that he was going to be forgotten; Hamilton and Burr fought over some stupid ****.
First section was on the Duel between Hamilton and Burr. I only knew the main outline, that it happened, so to find out that it was basically the culmination of years of disrespect that couldn't be tabled because Hamilton was too proud and also believed what he was saying was true is odd. Just the whole idea that one of the most important people in the establishment of the country died in a duel. Fought in the Continental Army just to get shot down by a politician in the forest. What a bizarre tale.
"Honor mattered because character mattered. And character mattered because the fate of the American experiment with republican government still required virtuous leaders to survive. Eventually, the United States might develop into a nation of laws and established institutions capable of surviving corrupt or incompetent public officials. But it was not there yet. It still required honorable and virtuous leaders to endure. Both Burr and Hamilton came to the interview because they wished to be regarded as part of such company."
Second section was about a dinner hosted by Jefferson, with Hamilton and Madison in hopes of settling the issue of the national capital and whether the federal government was to assume state debt. Madison stands out here. I knew he was TJ's partner, but never to what extent. The book describes TJ as the heart and Madison as the head of the revolution, which feels pretty accurate given their roles. Jefferson was so passionate about what the ideals being fought for meant that he needed someone more pragmatic to get things done. Gonna have to read more on Madison, he could potentially be my favorite of the Sons of Virginia, outside of John Marshall I guess. Interesting here also is the way certain ideological beliefs can be traced back 300 years and how many of the same fights we're still having.
"The more one contemplates the mentality of the Virginia planters - the refusal to bring their habits of consumption and expenditure into line with the realities of the economic predicament, the widespread pattern of denial right up to the declaration of bankruptcy - the more likely it seems that an entrenched and even willful, ignorance of the economic principles governing the relationship between credit and debt had become a badge of honor in their world. These were simply not the kind of concerns that a gentleman should take seriously. In a sense, they took considerable pride in not having the dimmest understanding of what Hamilton was talking about."
Chapter 3 was about The Silence, or the way that slavery was ignored as a topic for as long as it could be for fear of ripping the union apart. Basically the Southerners obfuscated the issue by tying it up with a bunch of other only tangentially related issues. Sounds familiar... Regardless, this was the only real mention of Ben Franklin, being that he opposed slavery and wanted to bring it to the forefront to end it one way or the other.
"What Voltaire was to France, Franklin was to America, the symbol of mankind's triumphal arrival at modernity... The greatest American scientist, the most deft diplomat, the most accomplished prose stylist, the sharpest wit, Franklin defied all the categories by inhabiting them all with such distinction and nonchalant grace."
"Franklin wanted to put slavery onto the national agenda before it was too late to take decisive action in accord with the principles of the Revolution. Madison wanted to take slavery off the national agenda because he believed that decisive action would result in the destruction of either the Virginia planter class or the nation itself."
4 was about Washington's Farewell Address. I loved this part. Aside from the obvious importance set by the precedent of the American pharoah giving up his throne, I didn't know how highly regarded Washington was thought of even in his own time. He was the man. They offered him a shot as basically emperor of the new colonies coming off of his leading the Continental Army, and he rejected it, said it was treasonous and against the revolution, and retired anyway. And in case anyone wanted to question his credentials in retiring, he opens his retirement speech with: "Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray but almost blind in service to my country." You can't tell this guy anything.
"At its psychological nub, Washington's inveterate realism was rooted in his commitment to control, over himself and over any and all events with the power to determine his fate. At its intellectual core, it meant he was the mirror image of Jefferson, for whom ideals were the Supreme reality and whose inspirational prowess derived from his confidence that the world would eventually come around to fit the pictures he had in his head. Washington, however, regarded all such pictures as dangerous dreams."
Five is about the partnership of Jefferson and Madison in opposing the Federalists and Adams's administration. Loved learning about Adams, I know way less about his role probably because he isn't from here but he may actually be my favorite. Dude was just cold and calculating. And him and Abigail have overtaken FDR and Eleanor as my favorite political couple. It also made me want to learn more about Madison as I think his thinking is more in line with my own than Jefferson. Even though they were working for many of the same things, it seems like Jefferson opposed them by default while Madison was more willing to be realistic and let things play out before calling a disaster. Also, I didn't know Hamilton was legit trying to create an army and take over the country lol. It's like FDR and the business plot.
"Adams's partner in the dance was Abigail, whose political instincts rivaled Madison's legendary skills and whose knowledge of her husband's emotional make up surpassed all competitors. She had always been his ultimate confidante, the person he could trust with his self doubts, vanities, and over flowing opinions."
"If the primary function of the collaboration within the Adams family was to insulate and eventually isolated Adams from the ideological warfare raging between both political parties, the primary function of the collaboration between Jefferson and Madison was to generate mutual reinforcement for their uncompromising assault on the presidency, frequently at the expense of even the most rudimentary version of factual accuracy."
Last section is about The Friendship, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson reconciling after all their issues, and keeping their correspondence up for as long as they did. That part is really incredible to me. It shows the respect that the Founders had for each other even through ideologies that were diametrically opposed to one another, they could still see their love for the country at the core and maintain friendship. Awesome. And part of the correspondence is Abigail chewing out TJ for turning on her husband. It's like the best TV show ever created.
"I consider you and him as the North and South Poles of the American Revolution. Some talked, some wrote, and some fought to promote and establish but you and Mr. Jefferson thought for us all." Benjamin Rush to John Adams
Yeah I love these guys lol. Especially after reading this I want to learn more about Washington, Madison, Adams, and Ben Franklin. And I'm almost definitely going to have to read every single letter John and Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson sent to each other one day, I think I'd get a lot of enjoyment out of what they were saying to each other and moreso the way they did. But for now, from the greats of America's past to the guy taking charge of our future, Elon Musk biography finally up next.
Finished Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation. Loved it, but I just love the topic. It's split into 6 chapters, each one going into detail on a specific event or circumstance that helps shed light on the issues faced during the early formation of the country and how they dealt with them. Quick takeaways: George Washington is a badass, Thomas Jefferson was talented but suffered due to his fierce ideology; John Adams was pissed even back then that he was going to be forgotten; Hamilton and Burr fought over some stupid ****.
Spoiler
First section was on the Duel between Hamilton and Burr. I only knew the main outline, that it happened, so to find out that it was basically the culmination of years of disrespect that couldn't be tabled because Hamilton was too proud and also believed what he was saying was true is odd. Just the whole idea that one of the most important people in the establishment of the country died in a duel. Fought in the Continental Army just to get shot down by a politician in the forest. What a bizarre tale.
"Honor mattered because character mattered. And character mattered because the fate of the American experiment with republican government still required virtuous leaders to survive. Eventually, the United States might develop into a nation of laws and established institutions capable of surviving corrupt or incompetent public officials. But it was not there yet. It still required honorable and virtuous leaders to endure. Both Burr and Hamilton came to the interview because they wished to be regarded as part of such company."
Second section was about a dinner hosted by Jefferson, with Hamilton and Madison in hopes of settling the issue of the national capital and whether the federal government was to assume state debt. Madison stands out here. I knew he was TJ's partner, but never to what extent. The book describes TJ as the heart and Madison as the head of the revolution, which feels pretty accurate given their roles. Jefferson was so passionate about what the ideals being fought for meant that he needed someone more pragmatic to get things done. Gonna have to read more on Madison, he could potentially be my favorite of the Sons of Virginia, outside of John Marshall I guess. Interesting here also is the way certain ideological beliefs can be traced back 300 years and how many of the same fights we're still having.
"The more one contemplates the mentality of the Virginia planters - the refusal to bring their habits of consumption and expenditure into line with the realities of the economic predicament, the widespread pattern of denial right up to the declaration of bankruptcy - the more likely it seems that an entrenched and even willful, ignorance of the economic principles governing the relationship between credit and debt had become a badge of honor in their world. These were simply not the kind of concerns that a gentleman should take seriously. In a sense, they took considerable pride in not having the dimmest understanding of what Hamilton was talking about."
Chapter 3 was about The Silence, or the way that slavery was ignored as a topic for as long as it could be for fear of ripping the union apart. Basically the Southerners obfuscated the issue by tying it up with a bunch of other only tangentially related issues. Sounds familiar... Regardless, this was the only real mention of Ben Franklin, being that he opposed slavery and wanted to bring it to the forefront to end it one way or the other.
"What Voltaire was to France, Franklin was to America, the symbol of mankind's triumphal arrival at modernity... The greatest American scientist, the most deft diplomat, the most accomplished prose stylist, the sharpest wit, Franklin defied all the categories by inhabiting them all with such distinction and nonchalant grace."
"Franklin wanted to put slavery onto the national agenda before it was too late to take decisive action in accord with the principles of the Revolution. Madison wanted to take slavery off the national agenda because he believed that decisive action would result in the destruction of either the Virginia planter class or the nation itself."
4 was about Washington's Farewell Address. I loved this part. Aside from the obvious importance set by the precedent of the American pharoah giving up his throne, I didn't know how highly regarded Washington was thought of even in his own time. He was the man. They offered him a shot as basically emperor of the new colonies coming off of his leading the Continental Army, and he rejected it, said it was treasonous and against the revolution, and retired anyway. And in case anyone wanted to question his credentials in retiring, he opens his retirement speech with: "Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray but almost blind in service to my country." You can't tell this guy anything.
"At its psychological nub, Washington's inveterate realism was rooted in his commitment to control, over himself and over any and all events with the power to determine his fate. At its intellectual core, it meant he was the mirror image of Jefferson, for whom ideals were the Supreme reality and whose inspirational prowess derived from his confidence that the world would eventually come around to fit the pictures he had in his head. Washington, however, regarded all such pictures as dangerous dreams."
Five is about the partnership of Jefferson and Madison in opposing the Federalists and Adams's administration. Loved learning about Adams, I know way less about his role probably because he isn't from here but he may actually be my favorite. Dude was just cold and calculating. And him and Abigail have overtaken FDR and Eleanor as my favorite political couple. It also made me want to learn more about Madison as I think his thinking is more in line with my own than Jefferson. Even though they were working for many of the same things, it seems like Jefferson opposed them by default while Madison was more willing to be realistic and let things play out before calling a disaster. Also, I didn't know Hamilton was legit trying to create an army and take over the country lol. It's like FDR and the business plot.
"Adams's partner in the dance was Abigail, whose political instincts rivaled Madison's legendary skills and whose knowledge of her husband's emotional make up surpassed all competitors. She had always been his ultimate confidante, the person he could trust with his self doubts, vanities, and over flowing opinions."
"If the primary function of the collaboration within the Adams family was to insulate and eventually isolated Adams from the ideological warfare raging between both political parties, the primary function of the collaboration between Jefferson and Madison was to generate mutual reinforcement for their uncompromising assault on the presidency, frequently at the expense of even the most rudimentary version of factual accuracy."
Last section is about The Friendship, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson reconciling after all their issues, and keeping their correspondence up for as long as they did. That part is really incredible to me. It shows the respect that the Founders had for each other even through ideologies that were diametrically opposed to one another, they could still see their love for the country at the core and maintain friendship. Awesome. And part of the correspondence is Abigail chewing out TJ for turning on her husband. It's like the best TV show ever created.
"I consider you and him as the North and South Poles of the American Revolution. Some talked, some wrote, and some fought to promote and establish but you and Mr. Jefferson thought for us all." Benjamin Rush to John Adams
Yeah I love these guys lol. Especially after reading this I want to learn more about Washington, Madison, Adams, and Ben Franklin. And I'm almost definitely going to have to read every single letter John and Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson sent to each other one day, I think I'd get a lot of enjoyment out of what they were saying to each other and moreso the way they did. But for now, from the greats of America's past to the guy taking charge of our future, Elon Musk biography finally up next.
Comment