Fears of a Setting Sun

an illuminating account of how the founding fathers worried about the future of America...This standout history provides useful context for understanding the roots of contemporary political turmoils and may comfort those who fear that American democracy is in dire peril. * Publishers Weekly, starred review * Making the striking argument that all but one of the major founders of the U.S. died disillusioned with their creation, Rasmussen nevertheless offers hope for our current predicaments . . . an authoritative and convincing argument in disarmingly artful prose. * Kirkus Reviews * Very timely . . . a fascinating and completely new perspective on the Founders and their view of the country they helped create . . . highly engaging and thought-provoking, showing the very human side of politics in early America. ---Jerry D. Lenaburg, New York Journal of Books Magisterial . . . creative and thought-provoking at every turn . . . a delightful book. . . . Rasmussen has superbly placed the story of the Founders' growing ideological concerns about their creation in the context of their own often eccentric personalities. ---John O. McGinnis, Law & Liberty Drawing on reams of personal correspondence between the Founders, Rasmussen persuasively argues that the vast majority of America's Founders-including the likes of Washington, Adams, Hamilton, and Jefferson-went to their death beds disillusioned with the political order they had created. ---Thomas Koenig, The Dispatch Rasmussen has produced a well-researched study that is a salutary read. He writes accessibly, explaining what motivated and worried each of [the Founders]. Concern for future generations and the fate of the republic is a recurring theme, and will also resonate with many readers today. * Library Journal *