Why is the time period so critical?

Through a series of six defining events from U.S. history, the author deftly explores the challenges faced by the Founding Fathers as they formed the new government of the United States after the Revolutionary War. He focuses his narrative around the most prominent members of the Revolutionary generation, whom he dubs, “Founding Brothers," a shift from their more commonly-used moniker of "Founding Fathers." Ellis attempts to examine the time not from a particular perspective, but from both foresight and hindsight. He attempts to impart both the "sense of urgency" felt at the time, and the improved perspective afforded by centuries of hindsight. His aim is to explore the relationships and conflicts that these particular men had, and the extent to which those personalities either shaped or were shaped by the turbulent period in which they lived and secured their historical reputations.