Joe Ellis has a very easy writing style for all his books. Ellis runs through Washington's life from ambitious young man marking territory for the British to young officer in colonial army to inspired, tough as nails revolutionary leader. In all, you see what an incredible, fearless, and persistent leader Washington became through overcoming many battle failures under failed British leaders with failed battle tactics. Washington astutely learned from experience that he had 'home field' advantage and just needed to wait out the British to win. Washington had a keen sense of winning war tactics and delegated authority to trusted lieutenants to execute it. What a man!

Joe Ellis provides a very balanced account of Thomas Jefferson, his intellectual brilliance, his political cunning, and mixed morality. Ellis provides excellent historical detail to show Jefferson as the politically most shrewd and successful politician of the Revolutionary Era. Ellis highlights some of Jefferson's real weaknesses such as essentially avoiding the Revolutionary War including giving up Charlottesville when the British attacked; politically back-stabbing others including even President Washington while serving as Secretary of State in Washington's first Administration; and duplicitous maneuvering to gain and maintain power in his own Administration. Fair & balanced account for historians.

In this book, Ellis describes how the Revolutionary Founders (Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, and Hamilton) collaborated or fought each other politically to gestate the first and long-lasting representative democracy of all time. He talks through key Revolutionary War decisions, Constitutional Convention to write the Constitution, creation of the National Bank and role of federal government, Louisiana Purchase, and the slavery debate.

You ride side-saddle with George Washington through battles of 1776 immediately following Declaration of Independence in and around New York and New Jersey including Valley Forge winter. Washington's army makes some bad tactical decisions but retreats astutely to fight another day. Finally, Washington plans the masterstroke surprise attack on Trenton, which along with commando hit and run success of the southern campaign, turns the tide of the war. McCullough is such a compelling writer. You're right there in the fight for freedom!

I need to read this book, know it's a homerun.

Meacham writes a neat chronology of Jackson's Presidency in way you really remember his key people and events. Jackson was the first President to really exercise full executive authority to enforce and make new laws. He forcefully put down a South Carolina insurrection for independence, exposed his political enemies as raw opportunists, shrewdly negotiated Indian pacts as balanced as possible knowing the inevitable demographic tide would over-run Indian lands without any compensation, and negotiated the Compromise of 1850 with Henry Clay, his arch nemesis, to avoid Civil War at least for another decade. Though born in a destitute home, Jackson evolved in a very loyal, loving family man. Great personal and political story of personal and political achievement to the benefit of our democracy.