The Great Divide

The Conflict Between Washington and Jefferson That Defined a Nation

By: Thomas Fleming

Narrated by: David Rapkin

History tends to cast the early years of America in a glow of camaraderie when there were, in fact ,many conflicts between the Founding Fathers - none more important than the one between George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Their disagreement centered on the highest, most original public office created by the Constitutional Convention: the presidency. It also involved the nation's foreign policy, the role of merchants and farmers in a republic, and the durability of the union. At its root were two sharply different visions of the nation's future.

Acclaimed historian Thomas Fleming examines how the differing characters and leadership styles of Washington and Jefferson shaped two opposing views of the presidency - and the nation. This clash profoundly influenced the next two centuries of America's history and persists in the present day.

©2015 Thomas Fleming (P)2015 Audible Inc.

Great Complement...

to John Ferling's Jefferson And Hamilton and Charles Slack's Liberty's First Crisis. These three books, read one after the other, provide a wonderful view of the very real struggles of personality and policy that faced the all too human founding fathers. A very interesting and intriguing read.

Riveting

If you're looking for a philosophical discussion on the differences of these men, you might be pleasantly disappointed. The story is engaging, the narrarator superb, and it isn't until the end that you see the thread that has brought it all together. For some, that may be frustrating, but I found it highly informative and entertaining. One issue is that this author is NOT kind to Jefferson and it might be helpful to have a biography on him handy just to be more balanced. Even still, it's a very engaging narrative and I'd highly recommend it.

never too old to learn

I enjoyed the book and learned a lot about many charactors, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, that shaped our country. alot of the content was not taught in history classes

Good story, well researched. Great narration.

Story is well - researched. I've read many of the other authors quoted in this work, but he does a very good job of the timing and juxtaposition between Washington, and Jefferson.
Furthermore, this is yet another work that further ensconces my feeling and opinions of some of the key players.
Excellent narration. I'm very happy with Rapkin's job narrating. After listening to several books narrated by Scott Brick, I thought I'd never find any other narrator that didn't annoy me. I'd become spoiled with excellent narration!
Rapkin does fantastic however. In fact well enough I'll seek out books he's narrated.

Overall, we'll done.

Interesting and informative

I learned many interesting facts about our country. Gives me more hope for the future.