A brilliant solution : inventing the American Constitution / Carol Berkin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Berkin, Carol.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Constitutional Convention (1787).

United States.

Statesmen.

History.

United States--Politics and government--1783-1789.

Politics and government.

Statesmen--United States--History--18th century.

United States. Constitution--Signers.

Constitutional history--United States.

Constitutional history.

Physical Description:

310 pages ; 21 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Harcourt, [2002]

Summary:

We Know -- and love -- the story of the American Revolution, from the Declaration of Independence to Cornwallis's defeat. We forget, though, that the Articles of Confederation and our first attempts at self-government were disasters; the post-revolutionary Confederation slipped quickly into factional bickering and economic crisis. In 1787, a group of lawyers and politicians, some famous and others just ordinary men, journeyed to Philadelphia, determined to create a more stable framework of government, hoping that it would last long enough to bring an end to the crisis. Delegates to the Constitutional Convention had no great expectations for the document they were fashioning. But somehow, in the amalgam of ideas, argument, and compromise, a great thing happened: A constitution and a form of government were created that have served us well. Revealing that the story of that amazing summer in Philadelphia is more complicated and much more interesting than we have imagined, Carol Berkin makes you feel as if you were there, listening to the arguments, getting to know the framers, and appreciating the difficult and critical decisions being made. Using history as a kind of time travel, Berkin takes the reader into the hearts and minds of the founders, explaining their mind-sets, their fears, and their very limited expectations. By telling a story that is more hallowed than understood, Berkin brings us into the world of eighteenth-century America and shows us the human side of a great accomplishment.

Contents:

The call for a convention

Making Mr. Madison wait

A gathering of demigods

The perils of power

Schisms, threats, and compromises

Debating the presidency once again

The convention ends

The battle for ratification

The inauguration of President George Washington.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [298]-300) and index.

ISBN:

0151009481

OCLC:

49663906