The Founding Fathers

By: Arthur M. Schlesinger - editor Jr.

Narrated by: Richard Rohan

The Founding Fathers series includes:

George Washington by James MacGregor Burns and Susan Dunn
In this thoughtful and incisive biography, Burns and Dunn dissect the strengths and weaknesses of Washington's presidential leadership, from his lasting foreign and economic policies to his polarizing denunciation of political parties and his public silence about slavery.

John Adams by John Patrick Diggins
Perhaps no U.S. president was less suited for the practice of politics than John Adams. A gifted philosopher who helped lead the movement for American independence from its inception, Adams was unprepared for the realities of party politics that had already begun to dominate the new country before Washington left office. But in this program historian John Patrick Diggins reveals a John Adams whose reputation for snobbery and failure are wholly undeserved, and whose prescient modernism still holds valuable lessons for us as we strive to fulfill the Founding Fathers' vision of a fair republic and just society. He is, in Diggins's view, the president who comes closest to Plato's ideal of a philosopher-king.

Thomas Jefferson by Joyce Appleby
Few presidents embody the American spirit as fully as Thomas Jefferson. His vision and unrivaled political imagination account for the almost utopian zeal of his two administrations. However, contradictions in his populism make Jefferson the most controversial of presidents: he spoke of inalienable human rights, but he taught his daughters that women were created for men's pleasure, and he believed that whites and blacks could never coexist peacefully in freedom. Jefferson described his election to the presidency as a second American Revolution. For the first time, historian Joyce Appleby rigorously explores this claim. She argues that our third president did, in fact, radically transform the political landscape of the United States by limiting the power of the government and eradicating the elitist practices inherited from the colonial era.

James Madison by Gary Wills
The eternal conundrum about James Madison—a key framer of the U.S. Constitution, a formidable political figure, and a man of tremendous intellect and foresight—is why, when he became chief executive, did he steer the ship of state with such an unsteady hand? Why was this man so lackluster and ineffectual in his tenure as president?
Renowned historian Garry Wills outlines the confluence of unfortunate circumstance, misplaced temperament, and outright poor judgment that bogged down Madison's presidency.

Critic reviews

“Richard Rohan treats the narration dramatically, with voices for George Washington and John Adams, while Ira Claffey takes a more professorial tone for Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Both read with clarity and make the material compelling.” —AudioFile

“A publishing milestone...Schlesinger, a master craftsman, is imposing his high standards on these books. Hail to the chief. It's a wonderful series.” —Chicago Sun Times

Very Interesting

It's amazing how simular our political differences are today as they were at the founding of our nation.

A good listen

I really liked this listen and it was good but I have to admit much of the subject matter was on material that I've heard before.

Excellent Overview of our first four Presidents,

Very good discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of Washington, Adams, Jefferson and Madison. The founders were exceptional men with faults.

A little too long

Very educational! Amazed to learn the back stories of our first four presidents.


One two three four

A well presented short series

What did you love best about The Founding Fathers?

If you liked Founding Brothers by Ellis, or maybe 1776 by McCullough, this provides more background into the cast of characters without being a 200-hour commitment. There's enough humanity to keep things interesting to anyone who wants to know more while remaining, under Schlesinger's name, Real History. At not quite twenty-three hours, it moves along at a fairly good clip.

As a work of Real History, it works to steer clear of the modern inclination towards the "WWGWD" (what would George Washington do?) political commentaries disguised as histories, largely by having a different biographer for of each of these men (and having none of them Glenn Beck clones). While none of the biographies are going to be called "the definitive work" on their respective topics, they provide a nice history aimed at the many of us in between high-interest stuff like Founding Brothers and the hardcover biographies most often given as gifts and used only as bookshelf decorations.

What other book might you compare The Founding Fathers to and why?

Isaacson's biography of Benjamin Franklin comes to mind, though the unabridged version is actually longer than these four biographies combined.....as the biographies are relatively short, you shouldn't expect the kind of in-depth detail found in a stand-alone single biography.

What about the narrator???s performance did you like?

While not dry and dusty, appropriately professorial for the subject matter.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Uhh....it's not really that kind of book.