**"Sex and the Founding Fathers: The American Revolution’s Secret Sexual Revolution"** by Thomas A. Foster is a scholarly exploration of the sexual attitudes and behaviors of the prominent figures during the American Revolution. The book examines how issues of sex and sexuality intersected with the political and social dynamics of the time.

### Key Themes and Points:

1. **Sexual Attitudes and Behaviors**: The book explores the sexual mores, practices, and attitudes of the Founding Fathers and their contemporaries. It examines how these attitudes were shaped by and contributed to the broader social and political context of the American Revolution.

2. **Impact on Politics and Society**: Foster investigates how sexual behavior and ideas about sexuality influenced the political and social climate of the period. This includes the ways in which sexual politics intersected with issues of power, gender, and morality.

3. **Historical Figures**: The book provides detailed analyses of various historical figures, including prominent Founding Fathers, and their sexual behaviors and relationships. It explores how their personal lives and sexual ethics were connected to their public roles and political actions.

4. **Cultural and Social Context**: Foster places the sexual practices and attitudes of the time within a broader cultural and social framework. He looks at how societal norms regarding sex and gender were evolving and how these changes affected public and private life.

5. **Re-examining Historical Narratives**: The book challenges traditional historical narratives by highlighting aspects of sexuality that have often been overlooked or suppressed. It offers a new perspective on the lives of the Founding Fathers and the era in which they lived.

6. **Methodology and Sources**: Foster uses a variety of historical sources, including letters, diaries, and contemporary writings, to support his analysis. His approach combines rigorous scholarship with a focus on previously neglected aspects of historical figures’ lives.

In summary, *Sex and the Founding Fathers* by Thomas A. Foster provides an insightful and provocative examination of the sexual attitudes and behaviors of the American Revolution's key figures. By exploring how sexuality intersected with politics and society, the book offers a fresh perspective on the personal lives of the Founding Fathers and the historical context of their time.

This book was requested when I was young and requested more books than I could possibly read. Sadly, I no longer have access to this book and my tastes have changed. Thus I will not be able to give feedback on this title.

This is an academic look at the sex and romantic lives of six Founding Fathers - Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Hamilton, and Morris. If you are thinking, "Who is Morris?" that would be Gouverneur Morris, writer of the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution and signer of the Articles of Confederation among other roles in the young republic's government.

So Foster wrote a great historiographical look at the six men; for those who have either a real interest in the American Revolution/Early Republic eras of U.S. history or for those who do gender/sexuality studies, this is the book for you to gain insight not just into the private lives of these men but also the culture of late eighteenth century and sexual mores specifically (for example, the difference between being sterile and being impotent makes a huge difference in how people saw manhood and husbandly duty to the marriage). As each chapter unfolded, I found myself reevaluating my perception of this time period.

This book takes a look at the autobiographies and biographies that are written about the men to show the varying (almost contradictory) views of the culture at the times they books were published influenced how much detail or emphasis were placed on affairs and preferences of these men. It was an entertaining read but definitely for those who take more than a passing interest in the era and want something to enhance those more popular history books and not so much for the casual history reader.

I have always been a history buff. I love reading and learning new things about history. So when I saw this book I was intriuged. As Istarted reading the book, slowly my interest faded. The "introduction" was way to long. It repeated the same thing over and over and before I knew it I was wondering if I should just give up with this book. But i read on hoping that it would get better. Spolier it did not. There are chapters about different presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, alexander hamilton & gouverneur Morris
I did learn a couple new things, but it was just 220 pages of talking about what other people wrote in their biographes and wheter he liked it or not. All this book made we want to do was find those other biographies and read them. Now if it was shorter, it might have been a little better.

This book could have been a lot more interesting. Maybe it's because I'm spoiled by living in a post-Hamilton musical society, but I want more.