review of "AmericanDialogue" by Joseph Ellis

I have been looking for some perspective on the current problems facing our country. By chance, I came across Ellis’s very recent book. I boarded it with great anticipation and was not disappointed.

Ellis looks at four major issues and four of our country’s founders who struggled with them. They include race and Thomas Jefferson, economic equality and John Adams, constitutional law and James Madison, as well as foreign relations and George Washington.

Discuss the historical considerations that guided each man in his approach to influencing the founding of our government. It also explores the moral considerations, personal convictions, political pressures, and conflicting values ​​each of them faces. It also discusses the implications for our nascent republic, as well as the current one.

Ellis also documents how the struggles of these founders still figure prominently in our current efforts to maintain our democracy. Particularly difficult for us is how to find and maintain a balance between capitalism and equal opportunities for all our citizens. Equally challenging is how to balance our own needs as a country while keeping our balance with other nations.

The author also considers our current administration’s approach to withdrawing from participation in world citizenship. Instead, there is the choice to use our military and economic might to get what we want instead of relying on diplomacy. As a result, we are rapidly losing our place in the world as an example of how democracy could work for all of our citizens and perhaps those of other countries.

We face serious challenges just like the founders of our country. In order to survive, we must find a way to face our current challenges together instead of allowing ourselves to be pitted against each other. We found a way to do this in the early days of our republic. It is time for us to take up the challenge once again. Reading this book will provide you with an insight into our current challenges from a historical perspective.

We have progressed over the centuries since the establishment of our country. Slavery is gone. People of color have gained a voice in our current affairs. Women have also found their voice. In that sense, our country has become more representative than it was initially. However, we still have factions that seek white male supremacy. We have work to do and it’s time to move on.