Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation

Feeling like these ladies are my friends is a heady place to be. To be like them, so ahead of their time, would be to honor them. They should give us all inspiration to think and act on good ideas. They are to be admired, their lives treasures of stunning examples to follow in the present.Oki

I thoroughly enjoyed Founding Mothers: The Women Who raised Our Nation, by Cokie Roberts. The book was informative and while told with respect and reverence, there just enough of a sense of humor to convey that we are all the same in human nature, whether of the 18th or 21rst centuries. The timeline was such that the reader can see and to a large extent feel the unfolding of rebellion, war, independence, and a new, tentative, national government. In reading the notes and introduction I hadn't appreciated just how difficult it would be to navigate the longhand of the day and to "translate" its intent into enough modern day usage and spelling so we can easily understand what the women of the day were trying to say. Some museums I have been to have displayed large examples of such writing and I find myself going cross-eyed trying to read it. I thank Cokie Roberts and whoever assisted her in these endeavors. (I also find myself talking and writing in 18th century-ese.)I want to posthumously shake some of our female ancestors for having destroyed too much of their correspondence. Didn't they realize that I, much less Cokie Roberts, would want to read every word? Well maybe they did but I imagine they were thinking more of their contemporaries and how they might choose to use their letters. Still and all how I wish we could read more of the thoughts of Martha Jefferson, Martha Washington, Betsey Hamilton than we have.I have recently taken a huge interest in early American history and I have some thoughts, comments, and questions about the substance of the book. In Chapter Two the author asks if Abigail was being playful in regard to her "remember the ladies" letter. I think she was being playful in one sense and most deadly serious in another. The substance and intent of the letter was as serious as could be, don't leave the ladies out of all political consideration! But her line, "we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation" shows she knew it would probably make her husband grin at the ironic references to his own similarly written grievances against the British Crown. The fact that John answered in a joking manner indicates to me that he knew at least in part she was trying to make him smile. The references were playful to soften the letter although the intent was serious. And one wonders just how seriously Abigail actually thought she and her contemporaries could foment a rebellion. Was she referring to posterity? I would like to think so. I believe many of the letters of the day were written with future generations of readers in mind and we can only assume that Abigail envisioned the women's movement that would begin--when, where? Here is where my reading fails me. With Emmeline Pankhurst in Britain in the 1870's? I don't know.As I have progressed with my other reading, various questions have occured to me which have not been answered to my satisfaction. One among them, Why did the British give up after Yorktown? I understand in general why they must have come to realize that to continue the effort at so great a distance and expense was ultimately useless. But which British official first thought, felt, wrote, it's time to change our thinking? I would like to know of any book that goes into the British thinking after Yorktown. The books I have read so far tell of Yorktown, then of peace negotiations and the peace treaty. But what took place in the confines of the British ministry between Yorktown and the beginning of serious peace negotiations? It is the details which fascinate. Just as many American women of the time encouraged their husbands to continue to resist, which English politician's wife whispered in her husband's ear, "Enough is enough!"Another question--When was the "U" in United States first capitalized? Jefferson, or someone, chose not to capitalize it in the Declaration of Independence which indicates to me that they didn't think of the united States as an official name yet.I assume everyone in America has an idea for a television series and so do I. Cokie Roberts has written so many stories of early American women, each one more fascinating than the next. Why not a series based on these stories? The woman who dressed as a man--Robert Shurcliff (Deborah Sampson), the spies and aids, Nancy Hart, Ann Gwinnett, the fundraisers, Esther DeBerdt, and more.I want to conclude by once more thanking Cokie Roberts for Founding Mothers. What a wonderful book that I look forward to rereading.

Nonfiction/History/Biography384 pages / 490 KBFootnotes / Endnotes: Yes (not identified in text)Illustrations: NoSuitable for eReaders: Yes4 starsThis was a fun read. It was obvious Cokie Roberts had a good time both researching and writing this book. She brought not only the women alive, but the men they were attached to. Her comments directly to the reader were wonderful, especially her comments about how Congress hasn't changed one bit from the first to now.Even if you don't particularly care for history, I think you will enjoy this book. The women are the centerpiece, with the men on the periphery. If you've ever wondered what Martha Washington thought and did for George, this is the book to tell you.I truly wish she had carried the bios out a bit further - what happened to Martha after George died? Sally Hemings is barely mentioned, and yet my understanding is, she had a large bearing on Jefferson after his wife died, she held the keys (literally) to his house, and ran it. As far as this book went, it was a great read, I just would have appreciated more on all these fascinating women.I read this on my Kindle Fire, and saw no wee tiny blue numbers indicated foot/endnotes. At about 60% of my way through the book, I came upon the Cast of Characters, then a couple recipes (the one for crown soap was how to cut the soap, not actually make it) and then (I'm guessing here, I didn't really check) about 35% of end notes. Most seemed to be bibliography, and though they were by chapter, it was too difficult to find where the original was, so I didn't bother to look. Normally, I read all the notes, but these just weren't worth the trouble to read. (Suggestion for Cokie: See how Laurence Bergreen does his end notes.)Do I recommend this book? Yes! (Amazon has a Note for Parents that the reading level of this book is Adult. I think any young person who reads beyond text messages or comics, can handle it. Personally, I think children should be encouraged to read above their grade level, but then, I was reading adult books when I was in the fifth grade;-)

Roberts research into the influential women of the era is remarkable. Based on letters and diaries that have been saved, she writes convincingly about the women of the era. She laments that so little is available about the role these women played in the formation of our government while even laundry lists of the men have been preserved.

An excellent, enjoyable and informative read.

Je n'en suis qu'au début du livre, mais je suis déjà conquis. Non pas vaincu, mais séduit et touché par ces Grandes Dames qui, elles, devaient, ou plutôt se faisaient un devoir de participer aussi, de près ou moins, aux trames politiques de leur époque. Elles doivent faire deux fronts : l'implication civique ou plus, politique, et la tenue de leur Maison (enfants, souvent nombreux, réceptions, etc.). Bien sûr l'époque couvre encore la sombre période esclavagiste, mais ce ou ces derniers semblaient, sous la responsabilité de ces femmes, être un peu mieux considérés. Ceci n'enlève rien, et c'est mon opinion, au caractère insupportable de la notion même d'esclave à quelque degré que ce soit (d'ailleurs le 13 è amendement n'a pas tout réglé). On apprend ce qu'étaient les conditions de vie, dures, incertaines, mais aussi pleines d'espérances et de possibles, de ces décades cruciales pour l'Amérique, et donc pour le monde. Incontournable pour qui s'intéresse ne serait-ce qu'un peu à ce pays.