What would George Washington do about weapons of mass destruction? How would Benjamin Franklin feel about unwed mothers? What would Alexander Hamilton think about minorities in the military? Would Thomas Jefferson support assisted suicide?

Examining a host of issues from terrorism to women’s rights to gun control, acclaimed historian Richard Brookhiser reveals why we still turn to the Founders in moments of struggle, farce, or disaster—just as Lincoln, FDR, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Bill Clinton have done before us.

In the only book of its kind, Brookhiser uses his vast knowledge of the Founders and of modern politics to apply their views to today’s issues. Brookhiser also explores why what the Founders would think still matters to us. After all, the French don’t ask themselves, “What would Charlemagne do?” But Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, Hamilton, Madison, Adams and all the rest have an unshakeable hold on our collective imagination. We trust them more than today’s politicians because they built our country, they wrote our user’s manuals—the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution—and they ran the nation while it was still under warranty and could be returned to the manufacturer. If anyone knows how the U.S.A. should work, it must be them.

Written with Brookhiser’s trademark eloquence and wit, while drawing on his deep understanding of American history, What Would the Founders Do? sheds new light on the disagreements and debates that have shaped our country from the beginning. By affirming our unique connection to the Founders, Brookhiser challenges us to think and act with the clarity that they brought to the task of making a democratic country. Now, more than ever, we need the Founders—inspiring, argumentative, amusing know-it-alls—to help us work through the issues that divide us.