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Apr 22, 2016 Web Exclusive By Frank Valish

In The First Congress, historian Fergus M. Bordewich tells the dramatic story of how the United States government was created. George Washington had just been sworn in. The provisional capital was in the nascent metropolis of New York City. James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Morris and others took center stage to debate such issues as the role of the government, how much control should be housed federally versus by the States, the Bill of Rights, creating the first National Bank, and a myriad of other concerns, both minute and grand, that would ultimately affect the way the government worked moving forward.

While obviously on the wrong side of history on issues of race and equality, the men of the first congress were tasked with basically creating a system of governance from the ground up. Bordewich treats the conveyance of this task and its detail with the utmost respect and reverence, chronicling the goings on of the congress with insight, anecdote, and comprehensiveness.

Interestingly, what stands out in Bordewich’s reporting is how similar that first congress was to the current one. Debates rage on seemingly endlessly. Progress often grinds to a halt. Nobody can agree. Often, nothing gets done. For how brilliant we retrospectively view founding fathers today, they often seem as fallibly human (and at times despicably so) as our current representatives today. Washington stands among them as a calm, distinguished presence throughout, but he was also someone who thought his political run was essentially complete before being urged to the presidency.

In sum, The First Congress is a beautifully told document of how our government was created, how our founders bridged the gap between the ideal of the government they envisioned and the reality of putting this ideal into practice, sometimes fighting tooth and nail along the way. (www.fergusbordewich.com) (www.simonandschuster.com)

Author rating: 7/10