A New York Times extended bestselling author re–creates the dinner party that saved the union The Constitution was two years old. Washington was in his first term of office, and the United States was in serious danger. Bitter political rivalry between former allies and two surging issues that inflamed the nation led to grim talk of breaking up the union. Then a single great evening achieved compromises that led to America′s great expansion. This book celebrates Thomas Jefferson and his two guests, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, as well as the dinner itself–the courses, the wines, the nature of the conversation–and the rapid results that followed. Charles A. Cerami (Washington, DC) is the author of three popular histories, including the New York Times extended bestseller Jefferson′s Great Gamble (978–1–4022–0240–7), Young Patriots (978–1–4022–0236–0), and Benjamin Banneker (978–0–471–38752–7).