Reading McCullough's 'John Adams' right now (waaaaaay too long, but good). Seems to me we wouldn't have gained independence without Adams. Who else can we add to that list? Franklin. Washington. Nathanel Greene?
But I'm no historian. What do you think?
Tuesday, March 24
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4 comments:
Franklin, Washington, Nathanel Greene? are a good start as well as Jefferson and we cannot forget Hamilton, who as Tom points out started the ball rolling towards the American System cum/ globalizaion.
yeah, i considered them, of course, but thought it was just possible that other people could have stepped up in their roles.
unrelatedly, i think, i was struck by Franklin's, Jefferson's and Hamilton's major character flaws
I would add Hamilton too. And some lesser lights, Von Steuben among them. I don't think you get great men (and great women) without significant flaws. Think of David, Luther, and, returning to the Revolution, Benedict Arnold whose victory at Saratoga was so important. The length of "John Adams" drew me deeper and deeper into his story, until, by the end, I simply did not want to say good-bye to him. Now I am reading McCullough's "Truman," another long one but equally fascinating.
i'm willing to include men with flaws, but i also esteem them less.
i, too, really enjoyed 'John Adams' even considering its length. however, we have not finished the videos yet. 'Truman' is way too daunting to think about anytime soon, but maybe 'Mornings on Horseback'...
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