These are great days to be a history buff. The Internet places the world's resources at our fingertips for research, and television's The History Channel brings the past to life. Following up their fascinating series on Founding Fathers, the series that personalized the American Revolution, comes Founding Brothers to bring a human face to the challenging aftermath when these men "fashioned a more perfect union."

Based on Joseph Ellis' Pulitzer Prize-winning book of the same name, Founding Brothers educates and entertains much like Ken Burns, with a moving camera that brings even dry manuscripts to life by panning over them and zooming in on key words and phrases. The variety of shots woven into Edward Herrmann's narrative are staggering mini-reenactments, location shots (Philadelphia gravestones and historic buildings, Mount Vernon and Monticello, rivers and countryside, etc.), and a wealth of portraits and paintings. He puts human faces on the text, transforming icons like Washington, Jefferson, and Hamilton into flesh and blood characters. Credit the voice talent as well, for bringing quotations to life requires the professional acting talent of men like Michael York, Peter Coyote, and James Woods for the starring roles of Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams respectively. Adding credibility are authors Ellis and John McCullough (the bestseller John Adams) as talking heads in brief, well paced segments.

History has established the remarkable accomplishments of these "founding brothers," most notably with the powerful and still standing United States government. It's difficult for most Americans to think of these men as fallible mortals, but this four-part, 3½ hour documentary makes these men far more relatable than ever. Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison clearly possess markings of genius, while George Washington and John Adams personify loyalty and integrity, but all these men were incredibly human. Their weaknesses make the establishment of the American government even more remarkable.

George Washington remains the only one treated much like an icon, but he was treated much like a god during his Presidency, as evidenced by the virtual coronation of his inaugurations, but the film clearly shows his humanness as well. Without precedents to go by, Washington is very concerned about setting the right tone and seeks advice on how he should act as he seeks the right mixture of decorum and informality. It's only due to his stature that the U.S. government gets off to such a unified start.

After Washington declines a third term, content to retire to his beloved Mt. Vernon, a free-for-all ensues. It's humorous to learn how the Presidential non-campaign of 1796 was conducted. Can you imagine two candidates refusing to outwardly campaign for office? At that time, it would have been considered poor taste and would reflect badly upon your character should you show that you desired the office. Ah, the good old days indeed!

Things change quickly, however, as the viciousness of the 1800 campaign ensues. The founding brothers have split into definite political camps. Convinced that a strong central government was essential, John Adams and Alexander Hamilton notably fall on the Federalist side, while states' rights advocates Thomas Jefferson and James Madison take up the Republican cause. Founding Brothers perhaps tarnishes Jefferson's reputation the most, and not because of the now well-known Sally Hemings' scandal. Although Jefferson often manipulated consensus building over dinner, the man betrays his friend John Adams for political gain with underhanded gossip leaked to the media.

The Federalists come out much better, though both Adams and Hamilton are still portrayed as humans. Adams frets over his legacy and how "His Rotundity" (as his enemies call him) is likely never to be recognized for posterity in the shadow of Washington, Franklin, and Jefferson. Hamilton, despite his economic and political genius, was quite a ladies man and engaged in the first public sex scandal of the day. Still, President Clinton should have taken a lesson from the man indelibly engraved on our $10 bill—we wouldn't have heard the words "I never had sex with that woman" and wouldn't have been dragged through many years of investigations.

We now live in a potentially more enlightened period, with a plethora of historical documentation available. Founding Brothers is one of the better documentaries fashioned by The History Channel; it brings the contents of Ellis' book to life by presenting these former icons in all their human glory. Personality clashes, sexual scandals, and a touch of violence enliven what many history students have previously thought was rather mundane subject matter. That is only true if you confine yourself to the standard adopted high school textbooks. Hopefully more teachers will avail themselves of this resource, so a truer picture can emerge.