Why the American Revolution, of all the great revolutions, was the only enduring success. Through the Founders’ own voices―and in the homes they designed and built to embody the ideal of domestic happiness they fought to achieve―we come to understand why the American Revolution, of all great revolutions, was the only enduring success. The Founders were vivid, energetic men, with sophisticated worldviews, and this magnificent reckoning of their successes draws liberally from their own eloquent writings on their actions and well-considered intentions. Richly illustrated with America’s historical and architectural treasures, this volume also considers the houses the Founders built with such care and money to reflect their vision for the fledgling nation. That so many great thinkers―Washington, Madison, Hamilton, Jefferson, John Jay, the Lees of Stratford Hall, and polemicist William Livingston―came together to accomplish what rightly seemed to them almost a miracle is a standing historical mystery, best understood by pondering the men themselves and their profound and world-changing ideas. Through impressive research and an intimate understanding of these iconic patriots, award-winning author Myron Magnet offers fresh insight into why the American experiment resulted in over two centuries of unexampled freedom and prosperity. 32 pages of color illustrations The Founding Fathers have provided plenty of fodder for fiction and nonfiction alike. In this series of biographical sketches, Magnet has taken a different and wholly original tack. In addition to reviewing what this group of luminaries said and wrote about the concepts of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, he also shows how they lived and how the homes they designed, cherished, and inhabited reflected the values and ideals they claimed for themselves and desired for their fellow countrymen. Individual profiles of William Livingston, Arthur Lee, Henry Lee, Richard Henry Lee, George Washington, John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison also include detailed descriptions of their hearths and homes. This collective biography has crossover appeal, featuring enough new information to satisfy both Revolutionary-era enthusiasts and architectural buffs. - Margaret Flanagan “ The Founders at Home is rich in insight, wit, and wisdom about the men who created America. It’s superb—a pleasure to read on every page.” - Thomas Fleming , author of The Intimate Lives of the Founding Fathers “Myron Magnet has produced an excellent book from this excellent idea: We can better understand the Founders, who shaped how we live, if we better understand how they lived in the homes they designed and social circles that radiated from those homes. The American Revolution, he argues, was a success because of its moderation, and this virtue suffused the Founders’ lives.” - George F. Will , author of One Man’s America: The Pleasures and Provocations of Our Singular Nation “Americans have long admired our Founders from a respectful distance. Now author Myron Magnet pulls us closer, into the framers’ homes and minds, so that we suddenly see not only what drove them but also how very much we share with those first Americans. Accurate, skillful, and utterly charming.” - Amity Shlaes , author of The Forgotten Man “The Founders of the American Revolution avoided the excesses of other major revolutions, not just because of their seminal ideas but also because they were practical, good men, both at work and at home. Myron Magnet, in this strikingly original thesis, shows how the protection of liberty and property were natural extensions of the way the Founders organized their families and homes. We owe him thanks for this timely reminder that how we live and what we think should not be antithetical, but properly complementary.” - Victor Davis Hanson , author of A War Like No Other “ The Founders at Home is a fascinating exploration of America’s Founding Fathers at the most intimate level. Highly original and intensely absorbing—Myron Magnet has produced an outstanding work of historical research.” - Amanda Foreman , author of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire “Masterful…a work of scholarship and a labor of love.” - Michael Goodwin - The New York Post “Does the world need yet another book on the American Founders? Yes, indeed: this one…. Mr. Magnet is an accomplished member of the cast of amateurs who have picked up the popular-history franchise that the American academic community tossed away…his book is a labor of love.” - James Grant - The Wall Street Journal “An excellent and fluid writer, Magnet succeeds in proving his point that these were more than residences; they were an expression of the personalities of their remarkable owners. The Founders at Home provides an interesting, entertaining, and informative way of looking at their lives and their world.” - John Steele Gordon - Commentary “Entertaining and illuminating… Myron Magnet h