This biography of the Revolutionary-era "villain" overturns every myth and image we have of him. The narrative of America's founding is filled with godlike geniuses--and then there was Aaron Burr. Generations have been told Burr was a betrayer--of Hamilton, of his country, of those with nobler ideas. All untrue: the politically aggressive Hamilton was preoccupied with Burr and subverted Burr's career at every turn for more than a decade. Historian...

"Historian David O. Stewart restores James Madison, sometimes overshadowed by his fellow Founders, to his proper place as the most significant framer of the new nation. Short, plain, balding, neither soldier nor orator, low on charisma and high on intelligence, Madison cared more about achieving results than taking the credit. To reach his lifelong goal of a self-governing constitutional republic, he blended his talents with those of key partners....

"John and John Quincy Adams: rogue intellectuals, unsparing truth tellers, too uncensored for their own political good. They held that political participation demanded moral courage. They did not seek popularity (and it showed). They lamented the fact that hero worship in America substituted idolatry for results, and they made it clear that they were talking about Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Andrew Jackson. John and...