| A Brilliant Solution: Inventing the American Constitution Contributor(s): Berkin, Carol (Author) |
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ISBN: 0156028727 ISBN-13: 9780156028721 Publisher: Mariner Books OUR PRICE: $16.14 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: October 2003 Annotation: "Carol Berkin has now written the liveliest and most concise account yet of the adoption of the Constitution. With unflagging verve, she sweeps readers along as she introduces the players, canvasses the issues, and explains the critical decisions. And she manages the neat and difficult trick of presenting the framers of the Constitution as living, breathing, calculating politicians while simultaneously capturing the deep seriousness of their debates and achievements. The result is a sparkling, fast-paced, and always engaging introduction to the modern world's first great exercise in constitutional invention."-- Jack N. Rakove, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "James Madison and the Creation of the American Republic" "A story all modern Americans need to know--the exciting and true tale of our nation's origins, as narrated by one of our best historians."--Professor Mary Beth Norton, Cornell University |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | United States - Revolutionary Period (1775-1800) - Political Science | Constitutions - History | North American |
| Dewey: 973.318 |
| Physical Information: 1" H x 5.3" W x 7.9" (0.60 lbs) 320 pages |
| Themes: - Chronological Period - 18th Century |
| Accelerated Reader Info |
| Quiz #: 118504 Reading Level: 11.8 Interest Level: Upper Grades Point Value: 16.0 |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: A rich narrative portrait of post-revolutionary America and the men who shaped its political future
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. |
Contributor Bio(s): Berkin, Carol: - Carol Berkin is a professor of American History at Baruch College and the Ph.D. Program in History at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. She has written five scholarly books and contributed to several collections of articles and textbooks. Berkin was a commentator for the A&E series Founding Fathers and Founding Brothers, as well as a commentator for the PBS documentary, Benjamin Franklin. She lives in New York City. |