Introduction

On September 3, 1783, representatives from Great Britain and the United States signed the Treaty of Paris, formally ending the American Revolutionary War. Although the Treaty recognized American independence, the nation's leaders now faced a new set of problems. How would they establish a viable republic to govern the vast territory that they had won from Great Britain? How would they create a nation from a confederation? In short, how would they, reconcile liberty and power?

Assignment

In his essay, "The Generation," Joseph Ellis discusses the theoretical "imcompatability" of two American foundings. What were the two American foundings that Ellis discussed? How might we see Thomas Jefferson as a representative of the first founding and James Madison as a representative of the second? What conclusions does Ellis draw?

Primary Sources

- The Declaration of Independence (1776) [ link ]
- Treaty of Paris (1783) [ link ]
- The Constitution of the United States (1787) [ link ]
- Federalist 10 and Federalist 51 (1788) [ link ]
- The Bill of Rights (1791) [ link ]

Secondary Sources

- Merrill Peterson, "Thomas Jefferson" American National Biography [ link ]
- Lance Banning, "James Madison" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography [ link ]
- Thomas Jefferson: Library of Congress Exhibition [ link ]
- Joseph Ellis, "The Generation" from Founding Brothers [ pdf ]
- Gordon Wood, "The Worthy Against the Licentious" from Creation of the American Republic [ link ]