We know them well: Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, Hamilton, Adams, and Madison -- an intimate coterie of daring, brilliant men widely credited with our nation's founding. But can this small group tell the whole story? By expanding the historical canvass and broadening the cast of characters, celebrated author Ray Raphael reveals a more thrilling storyline than any textbook version.

Founders brings to life seven dynamic historical figures whose stories anchor a sweeping yet intimate history of the entire Founding Era, from the beginnings of unrest in 1761 through the passage of the Bill of Rights thirty years later. Here we follow the intertwined lives of George Washington and a private soldier in his army. America's richest merchant, who rescued the nation from bankruptcy, goes head to head with a peripatetic revolutionary who incited rebellion in seven states. Rounding out the company is a richly nuanced cast that includes a common village blacksmith, a conservative slave owner with an abolitionist son, and Mercy Otis Warren, the most politically engaged woman of the time.

A master narrative with unprecedented historical scope, Founders will forever change our image of this most crucial moment in America's past.