Uniting the States (Six Crucial Moments That Forged the American Miracle)

“Brian Kilmeade provides us with a variation of Profiles in Courage focused on our Founders. It ranges from John Adams, who made the controversial decision to legally represent British soldiers who were part of the Boston Massacre, to his son John Quincy Adams, who defends the enslaved Africans in the Amistad case. These half dozen men helped unify our country and establish our narrative of striving for a more perfect union.”—WALTER ISAACSON, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Elon Musk

“Fascinating, intriguing, heart-pounding; history the way it should be! Brian Kilmeade’s Uniting the States reminds us that we have been through difficult times in the past 250 years, and the character of great Americans has always shined through—and always will.”—ADMIRAL WILLIAM H. MCRAVEN (US Navy, Ret.), #1 New York Times bestselling author of Make Your Bed

#1 New York Times bestselling author and FOX & Friends cohost takes us through the crucible of the early defining days of America with six extraordinary men who helped to define what freedom would mean for our fledgling nation: John Adams, George Washington, Captain Daniel Shays, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and John Quincy Adams.

Brian Kilmeade’s page-turning and riveting storytelling transports us to 1770 and the unshakeable John Adams as he does the unthinkable and defends the British soldiers accused at the Boston Massacre—but he is willing to risk his life and reputation to establish the rule of law as an essential American value. Then there is George Washing­ton, who, outnumbered and outgunned against the most powerful military force in the world, innovates a new way of warfare and an improbable road to victory in the Rev­olutionary War. Captain Daniel Shays follows, a man who loses everything to stand up for the little man while help­ing to inspire the Constitutional Convention.

The visionary Thomas Jefferson remakes the country in 1803, doubling its boundaries by masterminding the Lou­isiana Purchase from none other than Napoleon Bona­parte. James Madison challenges the British Goliath again, declaring the War of 1812 and rallying the United States in its first foray into making America a respected world power. Finally, John Quincy Adams, the conscience of the country, launches the nation’s hardest-ever conversation, attempting to erase America’s original sin.

When the colonists threw off British rule, they launched a great experiment in democracy. Self-government by the people, with a sworn commitment to equality and liberty for all, had never been tried. In the pages of this book, Brian Kilmeade tells us how the six heroes united the fledgling United States of America in its early decades, setting our nation on a trajectory unlike any other.