The founding of the United States went through a difficult time uniting an entire nation. The United States, on several occasions, has been almost doomed to failure. There were many good decisions and people who kept what we now call America alive. Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton are among the most unexpected people who helped shape the United States. Unlike other feuds between politicians of the era that ended in choice words, Burr and Hamilton ended in death. Many pivotal moments occurred during America's early years and most of the time, America was just a dream that most thought would never come true. Without the influence of the men who shaped the nation, this kind of “experiment” would have failed. Joseph Ellis, author of Founding Brothers, describes two phases that were pivotal moments in American history. The first was the drafting of the Constitution. He states that "...the main purpose of the Constitution was to provide a framework for bringing together the dispersed sections of the population into a more cohesive collective, worthy of that designation." » (Ellis 10). At this time, the United States still felt connected to Great Britain. People still had this idea that the government would become too powerful and take away their freedom. Others thought that if people had two powers, everything would spiral out of control. The other was the identity of the nation (Ellis 10). These two factors presented the founding fathers with a dilemma. How could they appease all the states and how could they unify the nation? The founders had to come together for the same cause and unify before they could unify a nation. However, not all the founders were unified, and this caused problems with the central unity that had to be formed for the founding of the o... ... middle of paper ...... the United States is still together today. No matter how many corrupt politicians or non-virtuous men take office, the men who created the Constitution created a document that would keep the people united enough to fight against it and the people would prevail. Hamilton defended the small-mindedness of republicanism even though he was not sure it would prevail. Burr was a threat to the republic and was corrupt enough to shatter the little unity of America. Even though the Founding Fathers were seen as wealthy white men who only cared about their own needs, they were the ones who unified the nation when no one else. would do it. Their form of checks and balances among themselves was the key to the checks and balances of the constitution. Without these men, the United States would be something different and would not have as much independence as it does today..