Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton has inspired millions to learn more about the founding of America. Some may be moved by a story of scrappy underdogs fighting for freedom against all odds. Others may wonder if America has ever lived up to the ideals assured in our Constitution.
In recent decades, America has begun to look in the shadows of our history to challenge the stories that no longer make sense. The American Revolution has escaped that scrutiny.
The American experiment in democratic government is a truly wonderful achievement, despite the challenges we face today. Don't we owe it to the ongoing health of our democracy to better understand the realities of that war?
We look at a little known plot to assassinate George Washington and consider whether the American Revolution was a good idea.
GUESTS:
- Brad Meltzer - Author of a dozen thrillers including The Escape Artist. He recently co-authored with Josh Mensch his first non-fiction book, The First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington.
- Adam Gopnik- Staff writer for The New Yorker; author, essayist, lyricist and libretto writer. His new book, just finished, is called A Thousand Small Sanities, a book about liberalism, of the American revolutionary kind. It will be out in April.
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Colin McEnroe hosted this conversation.