About the Author

CAROL BERKIN is the Presidential Professor of History at Baruch College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

Reviews

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR A BRILLIANT SOLUTION "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 "The liveliest and most concise account yet of the adoption of the Constitution. 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
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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.

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.

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR A BRILLIANT SOLUTION "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 "The liveliest and most concise account yet of the adoption of the Constitution. 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
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