Setting the World Ablaze: Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and the American Revolution [Hardcover]

John Ferling (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 6, 2000 | ISBN-10: 0195134095 | ISBN-13: 978-0195134094

Setting the World Ablaze is the story of the three men who, perhaps more than any others, helped bring the United States into being: George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson. Braiding three strands into one rich narrative, John Ferling brings these American icons down from their pedestals to show them as men of flesh and blood, and gives us a new understanding of the passion and uncertainty of the struggle to form a new nation.
A leading historian of the Revolutionary era, Ferling draws on an unsurpassed command of the primary sources and a talent for swiftly moving narrative to give us intimate views of each of these men. More than any scholar before him, Ferling shows us both the overarching historical picture of the era and a gripping sense of how these men encountered the challenges that faced them. At close quarters, we see Washington, containing a profound anger at British injustice within an austere demeanor; Adams, far from home, struggling with severe illness and French duplicity in his crucial negotiations in Paris; and Jefferson, distracted and indecisive, confronting uncertainties about his future in politics. John Adams, in particular, emerges from the narrative as the most underappreciated hero of the Revolution, while Jefferson is revealed as the most overrated of the Founders, although the most eloquent.
Setting the World Ablaze shows in dramatic detail how these conservative men--successful members of the colonial elite--were transformed into radical revolutionaries, and in doing so, it illuminates not just the special genius of these three leaders, but the remarkable transformation of His Majesty's colonies into the United States.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Setting the World Ablaze is the story of the three men who, perhaps more than any others, helped bring the United States into being: George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson. Weaving their three life stories into one narrative, John E. Ferling delivers a genuine and intimate illustration of them and, in doing so, gives us a new understanding of the passion and uncertainty of the struggle to form a new nation.

The three sections of Ferling's study chronologically examine major epochs in the lives of the three men: youth and early adulthood, the years surrounding the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and finally, defeat of the British in the Revolutionary War. Through the medium of comparative biography, Setting the World Ablaze attempts to link personal and impersonal elements in the contours of the American Revolution and the war that accompanied it. A professor of History at the State University of West Georgia and a leading scholar of the Revolutionary era, Ferling draws on a firm command of primary sources and his own expertise of the period to examine fundamental issues critical to our understanding of Washington, Adams, and Jefferson, as well as of the historical period. He abandons the standard iconography and focuses instead on what motivated and inspired these three men as human beings. For example, what forces shaped each of the three during his youth, what was each like as a mature young man before public affairs and fame changed everything, and what determined their behavior as activists? John Adams emerges from the narrative as the most underappreciated hero of the Revolution, while Jefferson is revealed as the most eloquent but also most overrated of the Founders. Personal anecdotes from all periods of their lives add to Ferling's already rich portrait and give the reader a unique sense of how Washington, Adams, and Jefferson negotiated the many challenges they encountered throughout their lives. --Bertina Loeffler Sedlack

From Library Journal

In barely more than 300 pages of text, Ferling (history, State Univ. of West Georgia; The First of Men: A Life of George Washington; John Adams: A Life) manages to offer a solid and interesting comparative biography of the three men who were, in his view, the most important leaders of the American Revolution. Thomas Jefferson was the "pen," John Adams the "tongue," and George Washington the "sword." Ferling's command of the material is sure-footed, though note everyone will agree with is views. Admirers of Benjamin Franklin will wonder why he is not ranked with these three men; moreover, Franklin will wonder why he is not ranked with these three men: moreover, Franklin scholars will object to the denigration of their man and the elevation of Adams in Ferling's discussion of the most peace settlement at the end of the hostilities. Ferling maintains that John Adams is the most underrated of the Founding Fathers, whereas Thomas Jefferson is the most overrated. He argues his point well, and his book is sure to cause some lively debates among general readers as well as specialists. Recommended for academic and large public libraries.
T.J. Schaeper, St. Bonaventure Univ., NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 428 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (July 6, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195134095
• ISBN-13: 978-0195134094
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,160,282 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John Ferling is a leading authority on late 18th and early 19th century American history. He is the author of many books, including Independence, The Ascent of George Washington, Almost a Miracle, Setting the World Ablaze, and A Leap in the Dark. To learn more, please visit his website: www.johnferling.com.