To Begin the World Anew

The Genius and Ambiguities of the American Founders

by Bernard Bailyn

In this collection of essays on the early years of the American republic, an esteemed historian writes on the combination of idealistic and pragmatic qualities in both Jefferson and Franklin, on the enduring qualities of the Federalist papers, and on the influence of these new ideas of politics and democracy on European thinkers.

Editions of To Begin the World Anew

	ISBN 9780375413773	Binding/Format Hardcover	Publisher Random House Inc	Date 2003	Price $1.00	Used, Very Good
	ISBN 9780375713088	Binding/Format Paperback	Publisher Vintage Books	Date 2004	Price $3.43	Good

Publisher Notes

Two time Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Bernard Bailyn has distilled a lifetime of study into this brilliant illumination of the ideas and world of the Founding Fathers. In five succinct essays he reveals the origins, depth, and global impact of their extraordinary creativity.

The opening essay illuminates the central importance of America’s provincialism to the formation of a truly original political system. In the chapters following, he explores the ambiguities and achievements of Jefferson’s career, Benjamin Franklin’s changing image and supple diplomacy, the circumstances and impact of the Federalist Papers, and the continuing influence of American constitutional thought throughout the Atlantic world. To Begin the World Anew enlivens our appreciation of how America came to be and deepens our understanding of the men who created it.