A Brilliant Solution: Inventing the American ConstitutionHistorian Carol Berkin's A Brilliant Solution: Inventing the American Constitution is a rich narrative portrait of post-revolutionary America and the men who shaped its political future. "Just as the Constitution was a brilliant solution to the problems of the 1780s, Carol Berkin's book is a brilliant account of the making of that constitution. Written with great verve and clarity, it nicely captures all the contingency and unpredictability in the framing of the Constitution."--Pulitzer Prize-winning author Gordon S. Wood Though the American Revolution is widely recognized as our nation's founding story, the years immediately following the war -- when our government was a disaster and the country was in a terrible crisis -- were in fact the most crucial in establishing the country's independence. The group of men who traveled to Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 had no idea what kind of history their meeting would make. But all their ideas, arguments, and compromises -- from the creation of the Constitution itself, article by article, to the insistence that it remain a living, evolving document -- laid the foundation for a government that has surpassed the founders' greatest hopes. Revisiting all the original historical documents of the period and drawing from her deep knowledge of eighteenth-century politics, Carol Berkin opens up the hearts and minds of America's founders, revealing the issues they faced, the times they lived in, and their humble expectations of success. |
From inside the book
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... ment is that it drops the , ' It all came down to us written on a stone tablet ' pose and goes into all the confusion , paranoia and luck involved . " -The Seattle Times " If you've ever wondered how a group of 18th - century soldiers ...
... ment is that it drops the , ' It all came down to us written on a stone tablet ' pose and goes into all the confusion , paranoia and luck involved . " -The Seattle Times " If you've ever wondered how a group of 18th - century soldiers ...
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... of the United States , and of its govern- ment , projected in the election crisis and the terrorist at- tacks makes the leap across the centuries to 1787 a difficult one . It takes a conscious act of imagination 4 CAROL BERKIN.
... of the United States , and of its govern- ment , projected in the election crisis and the terrorist at- tacks makes the leap across the centuries to 1787 a difficult one . It takes a conscious act of imagination 4 CAROL BERKIN.
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... ment , a newcomer , and to some degree a beggar at the gates of power and prestige among nations . In 1787 our treasury was empty . Debts to foreign governments and debts to our own citizens could not be paid , and this was a blow to ...
... ment , a newcomer , and to some degree a beggar at the gates of power and prestige among nations . In 1787 our treasury was empty . Debts to foreign governments and debts to our own citizens could not be paid , and this was a blow to ...
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... ment the convention delegates would feel if they were somehow magically transported to America in the twenty- first century . How would we explain the intense struggle over the election of the president in 2000 while the elec- tion of ...
... ment the convention delegates would feel if they were somehow magically transported to America in the twenty- first century . How would we explain the intense struggle over the election of the president in 2000 while the elec- tion of ...
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Contents
The Call for a Convention | 11 |
Making Mr Madison Wait | 30 |
A Gathering of Demigods | 48 |
The Perils of Power | 68 |
Schisms Threats and Compromises | 96 |
Debating the Presidency Once Again | 116 |
The Convention Ends | 149 |
The Battle for Ratification | 169 |
The Inauguration of President George Washington | 191 |
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Common terms and phrases
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