Apostles of Revolution: Jefferson, Paine, Monroe, and the Struggle Against the Old Order in America And Europe
Ferling’s new entry explores the vision of Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and James Monroe of an independent America and a democratic Europe. The book traces the role each man played leading up to and throughout the American Revolution, their hope that it would ignite a similar movement in Europe to end monarchical rule and to more evenly distribute wealth and power, and their disappointment over the results of the bloody French Revolution.
Revolution in America and Europe in the 18th century is a large topic and could easily become unwieldy. Although there are many other Founding Fathers and participants in the revolution that Ferling could have chosen, he is wise to narrow the focus to three. Jefferson, Paine, and Monroe’s careers over fifty plus years are fully presented, along with the challenges they faced in their personal lives. With these three very different men with at times opposing views, it is interesting to see how their relationships with each other grew and evolved over time. The reader can’t help but contemplate the state of our democracy today and what this trio of revolutionaries would have to say about it.
