Independence Day

Two hundred and thirty-one years after the Declaration of Independence was written, it can seem that the founding of the United States was inevitable. But any one of a number of obstacles could have torn the union apart during its formative years, historian Joseph Ellis writes in his book about the founding generation, “Founding Brothers.”

“What in retrospect has the look of a foreordained unfolding of God’s will was in reality an improvisational affair in which sheer chance, pure luck—both good and bad—and specific decisions made in the crucible of specific military and political crises determined the outcome,” according to Ellis.

Ellis focuses on the leaders of the revolutionary generation—Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Hamilton, et al, to illustrate his larger point that the state of the early union was incredibly fragile. Several issues could have broken up the young nation in the last two decades of the 18th century —slavery was the most obvious but there were also disagreements over how much power the federal government should wield and whether the economy should be based in agriculture or commerce. These disagreements often led one region of the country or another to threaten to secede from the union.

In six historical vignettes, Ellis describes how the political talents, personalities and relationships of the “founding brothers” held the union together and set a course for the United States to become the oldest enduring republic in world history. Among the episodes that helped shape the nation are the duel between Alexander Hamilton and Vice President Aaron, the debate over where to place the federal capital, and numerous compromises made over slavery.

I’m only a little more than one-third through the book, but I figured today was a fitting time to write about it. It’s fascinating to see how the founding that we are celebrating could have failed nearly as soon as it began.