I just finished "American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic", by Joseph J. Ellis. It was a book - like Wilentz' "American Democracy" - which I didn't want to see end.

It tells the story of the founding through a short series of vignettes:

• 1775 - 1776 - the point where things changed from a possibly fixable disagreement to a fight for independence
• Valley Forge - the experience that grounded Washington, and many of his officers, for the rest of their lives
• The argument over the type of government we would have in 1787
• The first treaty with the Indians - how good intentions came to nothing
• The founding of political parties - where we learn that paranoia over the motives of the opposition is hardly new
• The Louisiana Purchase - an action that violated Jefferson's theories of proper executive power, but which he could not let pass

Along the way, Ellis makes it very clear how the separation of powers made certain issues: slavery and Indian relations - difficult to deal with, because they were not amenable to easy compromises given the realities of the age. It's a very good book, and I highly recommend it.

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