Historian Jack Rakove chronicles the lives of America's forefathers, painting a picture that has been lost to history. Here, Rakove claims that many of America's early leaders, including Washington, Franklin, and Madison, didn't travel to the New World in search of a revolution. Instead, they came in search of fresh beginnings, to start families, and to prosper. Along the way, many of America's forefather's learned special skills and traits that would service their cause for independence.