"The majority of historians seem to suggest that the founders knew just what to do--and did it, creating a government that would endure for centuries," writes CUNY historian Carol Berkin in the introduction to A Brilliant Solution. Sitting atop the pedestals we've placed them on, these figures would be "amused" by such notions, she says, because in reality the Constitutional Convention was gripped by "a near-paranoid fear of conspiracies" and might easily have succumbed to "a collective anxiety" over its daunting task. The story of the birth of the U.S. Constitution has been told many times, perhaps best by Catherine Drinker Bowen in Miracle at Philadelphia. Berkin's rendition of these well-known events is clear and concise. It does a bit more telling than showing, but this seems to be in the service of brevity--the main text is only about 200 pages. (Another 100 pages of useful appendices follow, including the full texts of the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution, plus short biographies of all the convention delegates.) Berkin is an opinionated narrator, unafraid, for instance, to call Maryland's Luther Martin "determinedly uncouth." She also points out that American government has evolved in ways that would make the founders cringe: they believed the presidency would be a ceremonial office (rather than the locus of the nation's political power) and that political parties were bad (when, in fact, they have served democracy well). Readers who want a sure-footed introduction to America's founding would do well to start here. --John J. Miller


From Publishers Weekly
For the newly independent United States, the years just after the Revolution were the best of times and the worst of times: though the states celebrated their newfound freedom, they did not have a strong central government that would bind them together. Between 1776 and 1787, the proud new nation faced economic crisis, military weakness and interstate conflict problems so enormous they almost dashed all hopes for a future unified country. Yet, as historian Berkin so engagingly illustrates, James Madison, George Washington and a handful of others met in Philadelphia in 1787 to frame a creative answer to the political impasse. Berkin (First Generations: Women in Colonial America) wonderfully reveals the conflicts and compromises that characterized the drafting of the Constitution. She chronicles the development of the document itself, recording the details of each of the articles of the Constitution, for instance, and demonstrating the framers' belief in the primacy of the legislative branch. She also portrays the deep disagreements between Madison's Federalists and the states' rights advocates, such as George Mason and Edmund Randolph of Virginia, both of whom refused to sign the Constitution and swore to fight against its ratification in their state. Most important, Berkin emphasizes that the framers saw the Constitution as a working document, one that would require revision as the country grew. With the sensibilities of a novelist, Berkin tells a fast-paced story full of quirky and sympathetic characters, capturing the human dimensions of the now legendary first Constitutional Convention.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-Berkin begins her well-organized, fast-moving account with a vivid description of the problems faced by the former colonies in 1786. The loss of protection by the British navy had crippled trade with other nations. The army that had protected the settlers moving westward no longer defended them. Military campaigns had left devastated areas populated by the penniless and homeless. The new government had an empty treasury and no authority to replenish it. In response to worsening economic conditions, and the panic inspired by Shay's Rebellion, the Confederation announced a convention of delegates to be held in Philadelphia. The debates, compromises, decisions, and astonishing successes of this remarkable group of men constitute the central theme of this book. Readers get to know these fascinating Americans through succinct character sketches that reveal their thoughts, fears, and aspirations; plentiful quotes from letters, speeches, and diaries enliven the descriptions. The book closes with biographical essays on each of the delegates, summarizing their previous and later activities, and the texts of the Articles of Confederation and the U.S. Constitution.Kathy Tewell, Chantilly Regional Library, VACopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
With this concise and masterly book, Berkin (history, CUNY; First Generations: Women in Colonial America) joins the upper ranks of popular historians. Her account of the Constitutional Convention in the summer of 1787 brings to mind Catherine Drinker Bowen's Miracle at Philadelphia and the works of Garry Wills (Inventing America; Explaining America). Like Bowen, Berkin uses a novelistic approach to convey the personalities of the delegates and the mood of those intense, sweltering days. Like Wills, she reworks dense political texts and interprets complicated historical events for a general audience. The cast of main characters (Washington, Hamilton, Madison, Franklin, Mason, Dickinson, et al.) may be familiar to most readers, but Berkin devotes equal attention to the maneuverings of the lesser-known delegates. As the central issues are debated (the election and powers of the executive, the extent of state sovereignty) and the "Great Compromise" emerges from the work of the Committee on Postponed Matters, the delegates' achievement is shown to be nothing short of spectacular. Berkin draws on a careful reading of the primary texts and major historical studies for this work, yet her book is devoid of footnotes. Instead, a "Note on Sources" serves as a bibliographic essay. Most readers won't mind this a bit. Appended are brief biographical sketches of the delegates, as well as the text of the Constitution and the Articles of Confederation. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries. Thomas A. Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, PA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
A genre unto itself, books about the Constitutional Convention of 1787 boast all manner of treatments, from Charles Beard's quasi-Marxist An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution (1913) to the celebratory Miracle at Philadelphia by Catherine Drinker Bowen (1966). Therefore, historian Berkin, who has previously written on women in the colonial and revolutionary era, faces the challenge of having her book measured against classic works. In the main, she treats the conventioneers as experienced politicians worried by the malfunctioning government. But their worries varied: small-state delegates felt maltreated by large states; in Massachusetts, Shays' Rebellion revived a distrust of unrestrained democracy; and a few nationalists fretted about America's international impotence. Berkin's account emphasizes the importance of the delegates' anxieties, showing how they insinuated themselves into some of the compromises, such as the equality of the states in the Senate. Shrewd at integrating biographical detail on the delegates into their debates, Berkin fares well in comparison with previous historians on the topic. Gilbert Taylor
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
"Takes a fresh look at the much-trampled ground of Philadelphia in 1787." --Molly Ivins, The Seattle Times



Review
"Takes a fresh look at the much-trampled ground of Philadelphia in 1787." --Molly Ivins, The Seattle Times



Book Description
We know--and love--the story of the American Revolution, from the Declaration of Independence to Cornwallis's defeat. But our first government was a disaster and the country was in a terrible crisis. So when a group of men traveled to Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 to save a nation in danger of collapse, they had no great expectations for the meeting that would make history. But all the ideas, arguments, and compromises led to a great thing: a constitution and a government were born that have surpassed the founders'
greatest hopes.
Revisiting all the original documents and using her deep knowledge of eighteenth-century history and politics, Carol Berkin takes a fresh look at the men who framed the Constitution, the issues they faced, and the times they lived in. Berkin transports the reader into the hearts and minds of the founders, exposing their fears and their limited expectations
of success.



From the Inside Flap
"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

FROM THE PUBLISHER

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.

SYNOPSIS

In response to the contested presidential election of 2000 and the attack of September 2001, Berkin (American history, City U. of New York and Baruch College) revisits the values, concerns, and processes that led to the US Constitution. She describes the government they created as led by Congress, with the executive branch playing a secondary role and the judiciary left flexible to be formed by its practice. She includes the texts of the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. Annotation c. Book News, Inc.,Portland, OR

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

For the newly independent United States, the years just after the Revolution were the best of times and the worst of times: though the states celebrated their newfound freedom, they did not have a strong central government that would bind them together. Between 1776 and 1787, the proud new nation faced economic crisis, military weakness and interstate conflict problems so enormous they almost dashed all hopes for a future unified country. Yet, as historian Berkin so engagingly illustrates, James Madison, George Washington and a handful of others met in Philadelphia in 1787 to frame a creative answer to the political impasse. Berkin (First Generations: Women in Colonial America) wonderfully reveals the conflicts and compromises that characterized the drafting of the Constitution. She chronicles the development of the document itself, recording the details of each of the articles of the Constitution, for instance, and demonstrating the framers' belief in the primacy of the legislative branch. She also portrays the deep disagreements between Madison's Federalists and the states' rights advocates, such as George Mason and Edmund Randolph of Virginia, both of whom refused to sign the Constitution and swore to fight against its ratification in their state. Most important, Berkin emphasizes that the framers saw the Constitution as a working document, one that would require revision as the country grew. With the sensibilities of a novelist, Berkin tells a fast-paced story full of quirky and sympathetic characters, capturing the human dimensions of the now legendary first Constitutional Convention. (Sept.) Forecast: Berkin's wonderfully engaging book could take its place alongside Joseph Ellis's Founding Brothers and David McCullough's John Adams. Her role as commentator on the upcoming A&E series Founding Brothers will raise the book's profile still further. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

With this concise and masterly book, Berkin (history, CUNY; First Generations: Women in Colonial America) joins the upper ranks of popular historians. Her account of the Constitutional Convention in the summer of 1787 brings to mind Catherine Drinker Bowen's Miracle at Philadelphia and the works of Garry Wills (Inventing America; Explaining America). Like Bowen, Berkin uses a novelistic approach to convey the personalities of the delegates and the mood of those intense, sweltering days. Like Wills, she reworks dense political texts and interprets complicated historical events for a general audience. The cast of main characters (Washington, Hamilton, Madison, Franklin, Mason, Dickinson, et al.) may be familiar to most readers, but Berkin devotes equal attention to the maneuverings of the lesser-known delegates. As the central issues are debated (the election and powers of the executive, the extent of state sovereignty) and the "Great Compromise" emerges from the work of the Committee on Postponed Matters, the delegates' achievement is shown to be nothing short of spectacular. Berkin draws on a careful reading of the primary texts and major historical studies for this work, yet her book is devoid of footnotes. Instead, a "Note on Sources" serves as a bibliographic essay. Most readers won't mind this a bit. Appended are brief biographical sketches of the delegates, as well as the text of the Constitution and the Articles of Confederation. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries. Thomas A. Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, PA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

Adult/High School-Berkin begins her well-organized, fast-moving account with a vivid description of the problems faced by the former colonies in 1786. The loss of protection by the British navy had crippled trade with other nations. The army that had protected the settlers moving westward no longer defended them. Military campaigns had left devastated areas populated by the penniless and homeless. The new government had an empty treasury and no authority to replenish it. In response to worsening economic conditions, and the panic inspired by Shay's Rebellion, the Confederation announced a convention of delegates to be held in Philadelphia. The debates, compromises, decisions, and astonishing successes of this remarkable group of men constitute the central theme of this book. Readers get to know these fascinating Americans through succinct character sketches that reveal their thoughts, fears, and aspirations; plentiful quotes from letters, speeches, and diaries enliven the descriptions. The book closes with biographical essays on each of the delegates, summarizing their previous and later activities, and the texts of the Articles of Confederation and the U.S. Constitution.-Kathy Tewell, Chantilly Regional Library, VA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews