Ellis focuses on six discrete moments exemplifying crucial issues facing the new nation: Burr and Hamilton's duel, and what may really have happened; Hamilton, Jefferson, and Madison's secret dinner, during which the seat of the permanent capital was determined in exchange for passage of Hamilton's financial plan; Franklin's petition to end the "peculiar institution" of slavery -- and Madison's efforts to quash it; Washington's Farewell Address, announcing his retirement from public office and offering his country some final advice; Adams's difficult term as Washington's successor and his alleged scheme to pass the presidency on to his son; and finally, Adams and Jefferson's renewed correspondence at the end of their lives, in which they compared their different views of the Revolution and its legacy.

Founding Brothers informs our understanding of American politics -- then and now -- and gives us a new perspective on the unprecedented forces that shape history.