AnyBook4Less.com	Find the Best Price on the Web Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Home  |  Store List  |  FAQ  |  Contact Us  |
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money Keyword AuthorISBN

Title: Creating the Constitution: 1787 (Drama of American History) by Christopher Collier, James Lincoln Collier ISBN: 0-7614-0776-6 Publisher: Benchmark Books Pub. Date: September, 1998 Format: Library Binding Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $31.36

Your Country USA Canada United Kingdom Australia Austria Belgium France Germany Italy Netherlands Switzerland Currency AutoUSD CAD GBP EUR AUD CHF Delivery Only cheapest delivery All delivery options Include Used Books Are you a club member of: Barnes and Noble Books A Million Chapters.Indigo.ca

Average Customer Rating: 4 (2 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: The history and principles of the U.S. Constitution
Comment: "Creating the Constitution, 1787" is the most atypical volume in The Drama of American History co-authored by Christopher & James Lincoln Collier. Most of the volumes look at decades (e.g., Andrew Jackson's America, 1824-1850") if not a century or more (e.g., "The French and Indian War, 1660-1763") of American history. But this 6th volume focuses on the year in which the U.S. Constitution was written and ratified. Of course, "Creating the Constitution" does look at more than just the year 1787, starting with the Articles of Confederation, which passed Congress in 1777 and were ratified by the states in 1781, when the Revolution was almost over.

The Colliers cover the creation of the Constitution in six chapters: (1) The Articles of Confederation looks at the covenant that governed the new nation in between the Continental Congresses of 1774 to 1781 and the ratification of the Constitution in 1787. Specifically, the chapter establishes the flaws in the system that required something new; (2) Danger Everywhere explores the problems facing the United States at this time in terms of foreign powers, Indians, Barbary pirates, and national debt, as well as questions over state borders and the insurrection of the Shays' Rebellion; (3) The Great Men Gather talks about the collection of "demi-gods" who came to Philadelphia to create the Constitution; (4) Compromises focuses primarily on the conflicting interest of the larger and smaller states, with resulted in the compromise of the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as the issues dividing North and South; (5) Principles looks at the guiding ideas of the Constitution: natural rights, the social contract, Federalism, Nationalism, and Separation of Powers. This is the most important chapter in the book since it gets at the heart and spirit of the Constitution rather than the letter of it that you get from reading the Articles; and (6) Ratification and the Bill of Rights covers the history of the ratification, including the hard fights in Virginia and New York, and the universal recognition of the fact a bill of rights had to be added.

The book concludes with an Epilogue that talks about the significance of the Constitution that remains remarkable intact. Ultimately, it is as much the analysis of the Constitution as the history of its creation that matters in this volume. The chapter on Principles epitomizes the goal of this series to strip history down to a "central core." Certainly this volume provides a more detailed look at the process and its results than you will get from a standard American history textbook. The book is illustrated with historic paintings and political cartoons, as well as more contemporary photographs representing Constitutional issues in modern times. "The Drama of American History" series is a wonderful approach to the study of the nation's story, although I would think the cost of providing classroom sets would be prohibited to the vast majority of educational institutions. However, teachers of American history can certainly use this model to organize and supplement their classes.

Rating: 3
Summary: A British view
Comment: The current issues of the British "House of Lords" and the need for a "United States of Europe" led me to research the founding of the United Stes of America. This is a subject not much taught in British schools where we tend to to be complacent about our "unwritten Constitution". I found this book to be an excellent overview for a first time student. It raises fascinating revealations on the such issues as the States entered the constitution , inter ailia, to increase their sovereignty (actually their survival) which is the opposite to the view currently expressed in Britain. The book did not satisfy me for its lack of detail on the Founding Fathers deliberations but it has led me to further research. I suspect that this was the authors intent.