I decided to watch "Founding Brothers" as background research for my class on the American Presidency. My surprise was great when I realized the beginnings of America resemble a modern day soap opera, with just as much drama and deception. This production of the History Channel is based on the best-selling book of the same title by historian Joseph Ellis, and presents an intricate, highly political and oftentimes highly manipulative picture of America's first steps towards self-government.

The series is four hours long and covers the first three presidents - George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson - in all their mandates, along with the politics that surrounded not only them as individuals but their cabinets as well. There is superb acting from the cast in period clothing and a great job has been done in making them look like their alter egos. The voices of the patriots were entrusted to actors of the caliber of Brian Dennehy, Michael York and Peter Coyote.

"Founding Brothers" provides great insight and scholarly analysis on other politicians of the time as well, those who did not occupy the executive's office, yet had just as much influence in the shaping of the political future of the country. Thus we have extensive background on Benjamin Franklin, John Jay and Alexander Hamilton to name but a few, this last one a shrewd man, also known as the American Machiavelli, and responsible for the engineering of America's financial system.

I don't have anything to say about the quality of the material in the series, which is all discussed by first grade historians and researchers. I was surprised however, by the charisma and integrity that seemed to have been the distinguishing marks of George Washington, the irascibility that precluded John Adams from becoming an effective leader, and the appalling manipulative and conniving personality of Thomas Jefferson, a man known for having betrayed his closest friends.

"Founding Brothers" presents a picture sometimes hopeful, sometimes disdainful of American politics. An eye-opener for anyone wishing to understand the nature of the country's government.

I enjoyed this series, it is a typical History Channel presentation, more just a basic overview and rote knowledge, but that's ok. I think it is a great introduction to this time period in American history, and I wish I had seen the series before I read Ellis' companion book, I would have had been able to bring that prior knowledge into the reading. The series is well done, I just have one complaint, the actor who played George Washington! Washington was a striking individual in life, the actor who plays him here, well enough said. I wish they had gotten the actor who played Washington in The Revolution, he looked more the part. Oh well, this is a minor complaint.

It pains my heart to see what is happening in the realm of the so-called American historian. And though I have a gleam of hope that the statements I am about to make do not apply to all American historians, one thing is true, and that is there is a bias among historians towards Hamiltonian principals of government to the disgust of the true American spirit of liberty and freedom. And though I support with vehemence the principals of Jeffersonian government as it existed during the early nineteenth century for about a quarter of a century, that does not blind me to the fact that Jefferson was a man who did make mistakes. But to exaggerate those mistakes to then become a staunch supporter of Hamilton is a grave mistake in this day and age. Hamilton is placed upon a pedestal constantly and applauded and showered with such laurels that these very praises make one suspicious to wonder if he deserves it. And a close examination of his philosophy will show that he is unworthy. My design is not to say we should attack his character as each man was flawed, but his principles of government are dangerous to the American people, and I am baffled to see how historians who are so astute should be blinded by his principals. It almost makes one wonder if they purposely are trying to shape the American mind to accept principles that would make us conform to our rights are being trampled upon. I want to be fair to those who may be naïve, but at the same time not to be willfully ignorant. We know currently we are living under a consolidated form of government never intended by the founding fore fathers, and I pray that our leading historians and teachers are not trying to make us accept it. I believe it is time to rise up against these abuses and to allow the common voice of the educated American to be heard again. Where is the voice of liberty?

And what I have just shared above is no different in this documentary. Hamilton is praised to such an extent where the historians evade certain issues as created by Hamilton himself and try to sweep it under a rug, while slashing Jefferson with such determination that one is left with a one sided view to the issue. More energy is placed upon Jefferson's character as a person. If we judged by that alone and put these men side by side we would have an endless list. The issue is not on character alone, but government strategy and foresight to lead a nation and a people to have a Democratic Republic. To fulfill the purpose of government and this is to protect the rights of the people. This is the crux of the matter. And I feel like they have fallen short in this documentary. The following is an enumeration of the biased view of Hamiltonian principles as shown in this documentary.

1.) The Alien & Sedition Acts - This documentary brings out the point that Adams made a bad decision by instituting these two laws, but it fails to show the Federalists view as a party of these bills. Anyone who knows their history understands full well that it was the radicals among the Federalists who wanted the Alien Bill. Furthermore it is true that Hamilton urged moderation but Hamilton didn't seek to prevent the bill. So in this documentary all that is sweep under the rug with Abigail Adams gave him poor advice. Shocking!

2.) Character Flaws between Jefferson & Hamilton - Over and over again Hamilton is made the saint and Jefferson the heathen. Hamilton's affair is covered in about five minutes, while the Sally Hemmings story covers about fifteen minutes. It speaks about how Jefferson NEVER freed any slaves except the Hemmings slaves. Now either this historian is ignorant to historical facts or just using another opportunity to slash Jefferson. Everyone knows that Jefferson freed more than just the Hemmings slave. He freed several slaves that had a trade because he felt like they could survive in a hostile environment, but of course you don't get that in this documentary. The documentary makes Hamilton a Christian and never clears Jefferson of not being Atheist. If you know your history that title was given to him because of his support to the French Revolution. And the documentary left out how Jefferson did not suppor the violence of the French Revolution and that towards the end of the French Revolution he was against it.

3.) Government Policies - While the documentary descibes the Presidential terms of Washington and how Jefferson and Hamilton were a part of the cabinet. Several decisions that Washington made were influenced by Hamilton. Many times especially on critical issues Washington would accept the advice of Hamilton above Jeffersons to the detriment of the country, but that is left out. Hamilton is praised for his financial genius (which we can't deny) but it was done without the consent of the people. This documentary leaves out how Hamiltons plan on Assumption (assuming the debts of states from the American Revolution)totally ripped off the people who fought in the American Revolution. These men were given notes with the promise that they would be paid, and because they needed money they gave these notes away to the wealthy men (Hamilton's supporters) way below costs, and later Hamilton helps push a bill to force the Federal government to accept those notes later at face value making Hamilton's supporters rich. But again that is left out! And the worse of all it doesn't mention the deragatory statements that were made by Hamilton about the American Constitution. If you think that Hamilton was a staunch support of preserving the rights or a Democratic Republic you are sadly mistaken. He supported it because it was the closest thing that he could get to wield sovereign power. Over and over he makes broad interpretations to the constitution, he assumes power that was not delegated. That is why Madison turned against him when he wanted to establish a National Bank. It was against the Constitution!! American's we forget that. Yet we praise what he did in establishing it. You are praising a violation of the very back bone of our nation. But of course this was all left out. I could say more, but these are my observations.

I will make it clear that I am a Jeffersonian when it comes to my political beliefs. And I am not because I agree with everything that Jefferson did, but I support his principles becasue these principles are the ones that guarantee that the rights of the people be protected from the encroachments of the Federal government. Anyone can see now that America is following Hamiltonian forms of government and as a result the rights of the people and the constiution has been trampled incessantly, and we have those who want to praise Hamilton, shocking! No wonder we are in a mess. I encourage you to get the facts. I recommend Claude Bowers book entitled Jefferson & Hamilton. It will open your eyes to the true facts so you can make intelligent decisions in regard to how our government is currently being run.

This series is based upon a book by the same title, 'Founding Brothers', by author Joseph J. Ellis, who also has written books on both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson - hence it makes sense that there would be one book that brings the two of them together, along with other movers and shakers of the early American nationhood. Often referred to as 'founding fathers', in fact toward each other, they were more of a brotherhood. Hence Ellis' title.

We live in a time where the aging generation has been celebrated as 'the greatest generation', but for this title (and not meaning to take away anything of their achievement) they certain must acknowledge a rival, that being the generation of Americans who lived at the time of the Revolutionary War. Of course, this generation had a sense of greatness about it that made them conscious of what they were doing - George Washington deliberately lived and moved as if his every action would be the stuff of precedent; John Adams had his wife Abigail to begin saving his correspondence long before the outbreak of hostilities in the war.

Even with this sense about themselves, according to Ellis, 'Uncertainty, in fact, was the dominant mood at that moment' - the time when the Constitution was being drafted and ratified, there was no clear sense of what was meant by certain of the compromises, particularly the meaning of who 'the people' were in the legal and constitutional sense. If they weren't the federal government or the state governments, then just who were they?

Ellis identifies different possible ways of telling the early history of American nationhood, but most simply recapitulate the political debates of the time. Ellis sees these debates and early issues as setting the political stage for ongoing American development. He says, 'the revolutionary generation found a way to contain the explosive energies of the debate in the form of an ongoing argumetn or dialogue that was eventually institutionalised and rendered safe by the creation of political parties.' The issues of the Revolutionary period were not solved by the Constitution and early government development, according to Ellis, but rather enshrined and codified, indeed, woven into the very fabric of the nation as ongoing (and, as Ellis points out, only broke out into warfare during the Civil War).

This series develops the narrative across eight major characters, all of whom knew each other rather well. These figures are George Washington, John and Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and Aaron Burr. These stories include the famous duel between Hamilton and Burr, a dinner party in which the location of the nation's capital city was decided, and George Washington's farewell address upon declining to run for a third term as president. He also recounts the on-again, off-again friendship and rivalry of Jefferson and Adams, up to the very point of Adams' death - his reported last words were about Jefferson, who died on the same day, in what seems like divinely inspired timing for both: July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the birth of the nation.

The history is necessarily brief in the series; the book companion is not a lengthy one either - however, history is necessarily selective, and the point of this series seems to be to emphasise the personal relationships and interactions that led to the greater developments of the nation. The series does gloss over some of the better-known aspects of history to focus more intimately on the central characters and their lives - in such a short space of time, I feel the series has done a very good job at making this period in time come alive for the viewer, and will hopefully stimulate the viewer to read, both Ellis' book and beyond, to learn more about the foundation of the nation.

The rating above is not a correct one. This film was purchased for my grandson who needed it for a project he is involved with, and since he lives 350 miles away, I have not had a chance to talk with him about the quality of the film and its content. The service from Amazon was exceptional, and I have made two purchases since the one that is the subject of this rating. After I talk to my grandson, I will be glad to add to and correct this rating.