Brands’s book is an engaging examination of the early period of the country’s history. But a reader cannot help but believe that this volume is intended to help Americans navigate the current brawl of politics.

A brisk account of the controversies that first divided the heroes of the Revolution..

Compelling.

The author writes with a sharp and absorbing style, turning what could be a fairly dry topic into a highly readable tale worthy of a cable miniseries with backstabbing characters, high drama, shady deals, and huge egos all clashing to determine the course of the new country. For anyone who thinks that gridlock and partisan machinations are a recent development, this book will quickly lay those misconceptions to rest..

Although the conflicts of these now nearly mythical statesmen are not unlike the quarrels among today’s legislators, the more deliberate pace of their debates, not to mention their high-minded language, make the eighteenth century seem even more distant..

A reliable account.

An essential book for understanding the foundation of American partisanship..