*Founding Brothers* (Preface and Ch1+2)

Preface

The focus on the term "brothers" rather than "fathers" when referring to the men who played major roles in founding a new nation. The fact that Ellis uses this term is the foundation upon how he will narrate the rest of the book.
He places emphasis on the human qualities of the men who formed this country. Since their personalities were so diverse and they all knew each other personally, they were able to address a wide variety of issues that required different points of view. In a family (hence "brothers") there will always be conflicts of interest because of different personalities, but the important thing is that they have to remain united or else nothing gets accomplished.
The preface sets into motion the story of what kind of mutual respect and cooperation was required amongst these individuals in order to stay true to their responsibilities.

Ch. 1-The Duel

"The duel" being described in the chapter's title is the historic duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton. One afternoon, these two men met in Weehawken and after proper dueling etiquette was acknowledged, pistols were fired. Hamilton, who was not planning on firing his gun, was struck in the side by Burr's bullet. He later died because of his injury. After the duel took place, it was discovered that Hamilton's pistol was fired, although Burr remained unharmed. Burr was hence ostracized for being believed to have killed Alexander Hamilton.

Ch. 2-The Dinner

"The Dinner" discusses in great detail the amount of talk involved in where the location of the next capital would be. The actual dinner itself was held at Thomas Jefferson's house and there were several different viewpoints about where the capital should be. Eventually, George Washington decided that the capital should be at the mouth of the Potomac River. This place would eventually be called Washington DC.