American Creation : Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic American Creation : Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic is a 2007 non - fiction book written by American historian Joseph Ellis and published by Alfred A . Knopf , examining the successes and failures of the Founding Fathers . Structured episodically , the book examines six turning points in the early history of the United States : the writing of the Declaration of Independence , George Washington ' s winter at Valley Forge , James Madison ' s debate with Patrick Henry over Constitutional ratification , Washington ' s treaty with Creek leader Alexander McGillivray , Thomas Jefferson and James Madison ' s founding of the Democratic - Republican Party , and the Louisiana Purchase . Ellis , who had previously won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for History , wanted to write a book portraying the Founders neither as demigods nor villains , but as flawed men who were improvising in response to immediate crises . The book reached # 4 on " The New York Times " Best Seller list , and received largely positive reviews from critics . Background . Joseph Ellis is an American professor of history who held an endowed Ford Foundation Chair at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts . His previous works on the Founding Fathers had received several awards , including a 1997 National Book Award for " " and the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for History for his " . " " American Creation " was his sixth book . Ellis states in " American Creation " s foreword that the book was prompted by repeated questions he received on his 2000 book tour for " Founding Brothers " negatively comparing presidential candidates George W . Bush and Al Gore to the Founders . His difficulty in properly assessing the Founders made him want to write a book that both acknowledged their achievements and punctured the myth that they were " demigods " . He stated in an interview that he wanted to show that " these folks didn ' t completely understand what they were doing . . . They were improvising on the edge of catastrophe . " Ellis did the research for the book personally , rather than working with research assistants . He wrote the manuscript by hand with a rollerball pen . Content . " American Creation " consists of a prologue , six chapters , and an afterword . In the prologue , Ellis discusses what he calls the " stunning achievement " of the Founders in creating a nation that became " the accepted global formula for national success " . He criticizes the " wildly extravagant claims and equally hyperbolic counterclaims " that deify or vilify the Founders , particularly those of academic historians who treat the Founders as " racists , classists , and sexists " . In contrast , Ellis states his intention to present a balanced portrayal of Founders — acknowledging their successes , such as the creation of a nation - sized , secular republic governed by political parties , as well as their failures to deal with slavery and to reach a just settlement with Native Americans . The book ' s first chapter , " The Year " , examines the Declaration of Independence as well as the American Revolutionary War . Ellis discusses how , " latently and surreptitiously " , the Declaration held more long - term revolutionary implications than the Founders realized . The second chapter , " The Winter " , discusses General George Washington ' s achievement in holding the Continental Army together during a hard winter at Valley Forge . The army ' s poor condition causes a critical shift in strategy that would prove decisive for the Americans , forcing Washington to attempt to control the countryside rather than stage a decisive battle with the British . The third chapter , " The Argument " , details James Madison ' s efforts to secure a strong federal government at the 1787 Constitutional Convention . Madison fails to win approval for a national government that can veto state laws , and initially considers the convention a failure . Instead the Constitution creates a political system in which sovereignty is shared and " blurred " , providing a framework for ongoing debate . Madison emphasizes this advantage , as well as the weakness of the prior Articles of Confederation government during the Revolutionary War , to defeat Anti - Federalist orator Patrick Henry in a debate over Virginia ' s ratification of the Constitution . Chapter Four , " The Treaty " , considers Washington ' s failure as president to reach an equitable settlement with Native Americans , with particular consideration to his treaty with Creek leader Alexander McGillivray . Though Washington declares the issue one of his highest priorities and successfully negotiates a treaty , it proves worthless in the face of the relentless expansion of white settlers into Creek territory , the intransigence of the Georgian legislature , and McGillivray ' s attempts to ally with Spain . Ellis calls the inability to make a fair peace with Native Americans " the greatest failure of the revolutionary generation " , second only to their failure to end slavery . The fifth chapter , " The Conspiracy " , presents the achievement of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in creating American party politics by forming the Democratic - Republican Party . Even as he works to undermine Washington ' s administration from within , however , Jefferson disparages party politics and denies that he is capable of acting in a partisan fashion , thus failing to understand his own accomplishment . " The Purchase " , the book ' s final chapter , explores the story behind the 1803 Louisiana Purchase , discussing President Jefferson ' s achievement in making the Purchase but also his failure to prohibit slavery in the new territory . Ellis argues that Jefferson thus set the nation on the course that would lead to the Civil War , and that as a result , " tragedy trumped triumph in the story of the Purchase " . In the afterword , Ellis states that " perhaps the most creative act of the founding era " was " an expanding liberal mandate that left room , up ahead , for an Abraham Lincoln and a Martin Luther King to join the list of founders . " Reception . " American Creation " sold well on release , rising to # 4 on the " The New York Times " Best Seller list in November 2007 . " Publishers Weekly " gave the book a starred review , stating , " This subtle , brilliant examination of the period between the War of Independence and the Louisiana Purchase puts Pulitzer - winner Ellis ( Founding Brothers ) among the finest of America ' s narrative historians . " Jon Meacham , reviewing the book for " The New York Times " , called the book " illuminating " , writing that it goes " beyond the familiar critique of the founding to explore a point that remains underappreciated : that America was constructed to foster arguments , not to settle them " . Michiko Kakutani of " The New York Times " also praised the book , writing that " It is Ellis ' s achievement that he leaves us with a keen appreciation of the good fortune America had in having the right men in the right places at the right times " . In the " Chicago Tribune " , Debby Applegate stated that " ' American Creation ' is one of the most enjoyable and thought - provoking books I ' ve read in years . " Cindy Kibbe , writing in the " New Hampshire Business Review " , said of the book , " Filled with powerful , masterfully drawn word - pictures and eye - opening insights , Ellis ' s ' American Creation ' should be a must - read for anyone prior to going to the voting polls . . . ' American Creation ' lets us know we still have much to learn from , both good and bad , from the founding of our nation " . In " The Boston Globe " , H . W . Brands called Ellis " the reigning master of the episodic approach to history " ; he complimented the book ' s style but disagreed with Ellis ' conclusion that blurred sovereignty was one of the Constitution ' s greatest strengths . Jonathan Yardley of " The Washington Post " wrote that he felt Ellis ' portrait of the Founders was largely accurate , but that in his reading of the slavery issue , he was " a trifle guilty of the ' presentism ' - - seeing the past through the prism of the present - - that he elsewhere deplores " . Reviewing for " The Christian Science Monitor " , Randy Dotinga wrote that the book ' s close examination of " dry and tedious " political debates " makes for rough sledding at times " , and criticized Ellis ' dismissal of academic historians . However , he concluded that " Ellis ' s sharp writing style and appreciation for irony are saving graces " .