Published by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, in 2000

There have been many key and important events in our nation's history, and many people who have contributed to the growth and development of this country. Though many have played a significant role in our country's history, out of all the events and people, one group or generation allowed all that followed to take place, and is one of the most important components in our American history, our Founding Fathers. The novel "Founding Brothers" discusses the major events and interactions of these Founding Brothers.

The most famous duel in American history and the focus of the beginning chapter of the novel was the Hamilton Burr duel. Burr challenged Hamilton to a duel after the two had quarreled for some time. Both participants of the duel died in New Jersey in 1804 on July 11th. I found this event interesting not because of its importance of a historical nature, but because it was interesting to think that two very well known men with political careers would duel to the death over a feud. The times were obviously very different back then; to think that if two people in politics today had a duel over a fight of words is outlandish. I found it interesting to see how these men interacted and to see their personalities, as I had never seen them as characters but only historical figures.

Another significant event was the dinner that Jefferson hosted invited Hamilton and Madison. The dinner at Jefferson's was to be a place of negotiation between Hamilton and Madison over Hamilton's program, which dealt with the national and states debt. Madison agreed to allow Hamilton's program to pass