These days I am commuting by train and decided to re-read a few books on my bookshelf as well as some new stuff. I started with Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis. Brings back fond memories of why I liked the book. He does an excellent job of discussing the the Revolutionaries and their many disagreements. Not only were the colonists divided about separation for England but there were also sharp divisions about what type of country America should be after we won the war and were a separate country. The first attempt at forming a new country resulted in the Articles of Confederation which were inadequate and eventually we ended up with the Constitution. The Constitution has worked well for the most part (the Civil War was not a high point) but it was a series of compromises among people with very different opinions about how the United States should be governed.

Update:
I had started a book review blog called the ChesCo Reader. But now I’ve combined those reviews on this blog, RetiredGuy. I am retired and not riding the train but I still like to read in my retirement. Stop by and join the discussion or just visit awhile.

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