5 Founding Father Bios for Summer Reading

I have chosen these particular 5 Bios because they provide insights into these five important men in our national USA history that you may not have read before. I've read more than a dozen bios on each of these men. These may or may not be the 'best' - but I highly recommend each for those of you really interested in becoming better informed.

It has been said that history is best understood by reading biographies of those who made it. I think the bios on this list help prove that point. ;-)

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Geor...

Author John Ferling demonstrates in easy-to-read great detail how Washington "deftly screened burning ambition behind an image of republican virtue" to lead a shaky new nation when it most desperately needed it.

These two men, intentionally or unintentionally, were the founders of our current system of opposing political parties. Much has changed since, of course, but the debates began in their days, actually around the Cabinet table, and still resonate today.

This is perhaps one of the more controversial biographies of Thomas Jefferson. Some loved it. Some hated it. I include it here because it adds some new insights into the stereotypical early biographies you may have read. Read it and form your own judgements, is my approach

Which of these two do you tend to like/favor most in your reading?

This is the now classic biography of John Adams and if you have not yet read it this is the summer to do so. It is written in the McCullough style, of course, so allocate plenty of time to get through it.

John Adams was a very conflicted man, torn between his personal desires and his sense of duty to his nation and his family. He was the first of a long line of Adams family members to serve the USA ably for more than a century. This book lays the foundation for that dynasty very well along with helping us understand why this man did, and did not do, the many things in his life for which he is so infamous.

I find James Madison to be totally fascinating on many, many levels. He was a great thinking and writer. Though very small of stature, be married one of the most beautiful and vivacious women to ever grace out nation's capital. His story is nothing short of remarkable.

As with Benjamin Franklin himself, I'm always unsure what to recommend. This Edmund S. Morgan biography is a good one, so I have included it here. Franklin was a very man of broad interests and a long, varied, and productive life. He has received more kudos and criticisms than any ten men deserve, but these were all mostly well placed.