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Founding Rivals: Madison Vs. Monroe, The Bill Of Rights, And The Election That Saved A Nation (2011)

by Chris DeRose(Favorite Author)

3.99 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

159698192X (ISBN13: 9781596981928)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Regnery History

review 1: While I know a lot about James Madison, I know comparatively virtually nothing about James Monroe prior to his presidency. In Founding Rivals, DeRose takes a look at these two figures in the lead up to their presidencies and how they truly became rivals in politics. These two men were Founding Fathers of the Constitution and the formation of the early government of the United States.These men were not always rivals; early on they were colleagues until their political ideologies began to differ. This would ultimately lead to their competition with each other for the same Congressional seat. It was interesting to get into the mindset of politics of the time and see how different politicking is today.This book just barely touches upon their presidencies – the primary focus ... moreis their early days in politics and military. It is designed to give you a build up to their Congressional competition and place these men in their respective situations. While not a presidential biography, read in association with a strict presidential biography this book lends a lot to the discussion and understanding of these men.This wasn’t a poorly produced audio production, but it was a book that probably would have worked better in print. There were stretches that were a little boring to listen to, tedious details and such. There were two very interesting scenes that stood out in the audio – a stormy night when the Virginia delegates were hearing and discussing the Constitution as well as the campaigning for the Congressional seat.This review was previously posted @ The Maiden's Court.
review 2: There are pivotal moments in history that have shaped our present times. It is a shame when these moments become obscure and unknown to most of us. This book brilliantly explains the events leading up to and including such a moment. Does The Constitution continue or does it die as the previous, insufficient Articles of Confederation did before it? It all comes down to one election fought between two men who shared a life-long friendship and maintained that friendship although they had become political rivals. Madison and Monroe were even able to maintain that friendship throughout this bitter election contest. It's a good lesson for today's politicians.I appreciated how the book explained the insufficiencies in the Articles of Confederation. This is something that is glossed over and most of us have little knowledge of what a contentious issue this was and how precarious our union was under this document. It seems most of us learn, while in school, a purified version of history that downplays the animosities and struggles during the time of our country's formation. This book sheds light on those issues.My only slight complaint is that the focus was so much on Madison that Monroe was a more shadowy figure in the book. Of course, Madison's extensive efforts and work to create and ratify The Constitution and Bill of Rights earned him, quite rightly, the title of Father of The Constitution, and, thus, maybe it's just natural that he overshadows Monroe in this book.An excellent read. Highly recommended. less

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