The Summer of 1787 was written by David O. Stewart as a historical, non-fiction recount of the events leading to the Constitutions adoption hundreds of years ago. David O. Stewart is extremely qualified to put together such a book. Mr. Stewart is a prolific author in matters of politics and history. In addition, Mr. Stewart studied law at Yale, a highly praised institution. From his studies in modern law to reading all 500 pages of James Madison’s notes from the constitutional convention, Mr. Stewart has the motivation and intelligence to effectively narrate the time before the constitutions implementation. The Summer of 1787 was copyrighted in 2007 and published Simon and Schuster. The 349 page novel has sold successfully as a result of its …show more content…
Sectionalism is the restriction on individuals to favor their immediate surroundings and possess a strong personal agenda. This theme goes hand with those of cooperation and the negotiation process in 1787. Before there was an official United States, the land developed in colonies. This separation remained within the governing of each separated area. A set of differing opinions was bound to emerge. Each colony had a story of its own that carried on to the people to come in the respective area. For example Pennsylvania was established upon Quaker views and tolerance for others, which was not the case along the coast in other areas. Further barriers to unification were clear in the lack of a national currency. This sectionalism could be divided into large and small states. The large states demanded power and recognition for their size, while the smaller states felt that their influence should not be limited by their size. The state representatives often failed to see the big picture, and think with the nation’s best interests first and foremost. Fortunately compromise was found and Roger Sherman brought together the Connecticut Compromise, which focused on settling the large and small state dispute. Only after three fifths and trade compromises could be agreed upon over the major arguments was the constitution made a viable option, and then …show more content…
This is the only novel I have read which covers a topic from hundreds of years ago, let alone a historical topic. I have never followed the gears and machinery behind politics. The novel presents an opportunity to appreciate the events that lead to decision making in the government. Reading The Summer of 1787 and watching the TV show House of Cards show very different sides to government. I have a newfound interest in understanding and observing the government more closely. Specifically the people who are making important decisions within the government. Sometimes a misconstrued view people hold is that the president holds the power in all decision making. While it is true he has an immense amount of influence, there are many other people involved in every discussion. Lastly I now have a deeper understanding about specific delegates and the timeline of the events that occurred at the Constitutional
Dorman T. Shindler of The Denver Post calls 1776 a book that “Should be required reading in living rooms from coast to coast”. That is a very bold statement considering the historical information isn’t always the most interesting. McCullough tells the tale of the fight for independence highlight the key people, such as Washington himself, and how it all came to be. The book is structured into three large subdivisions, making it easy to follow and keeping the events in order. It is written with all sides of the war in mind, actual fighting and the literal thinking, as well as the points of view for all sides.
It gave character to the country [Doc. B]. Instead of uniting as a nation to reach middle ground on issues of state constitutional rights to govern themselves, which states would be free states and which would be slave states, the regions began to look out for
David O. Stewart’s The Summer of 1787: the Men Who Wrote the Constitution provides an un-biased historical account on how the constitution came to be. The book begins in post-revolutionary war America under the failed Articles of Confederation to the constitutional convention and through the ratification process of the constitution. It provides the readers with an in depth look at the hard ball the founding fathers played to create a government that could deal with a violent rebellion, mass debt, and the states conflicting goals. The goal of The Summer of 1787 the Men Who Wrote the Constitution is to enlighten readers on how the constitution came to be by illustrating how the founding fathers personalities affected the process by providing a deeper look into these key figures personal life’s and how their experiences shaped their political views.
The book 1776 rewrites the prolific story of what many historians consider to be the most important year in American history. The book contains a vast number of characters that serve many key roles in the story but one could focus in on the five that have the largest impact in the story. Beginning with King George III of England, the enemy in most American’s eyes. King George in the story appears to be genuinely wanting to gain the colony back. He was definitely strongly opposing the American push for independence from England.
If anyone was to do even a little research about the United States in 1787, one would find that the states were not very unified and life was not easy. Men like, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and George Washington had one thing in mind, to reunite the United States. The book, A Brilliant Solution by Carol Berkin, very clearly depicts the obstacles and adversity that the men attending the constitutional convention had to overcome. Due to a plethora of factors, the men attending the constitutional convention encountered many complications during the convention, ranging from travel issues to a lack of power to even do anything necessary to change the “United” States. The book shows this by describing the story of the men as a “story of anxious
Compromise was a huge part of America 's history and was extremely useful when it came to the “Articles of Confederation.” The government was starting to realize the articles weren 't strong enough any more and weren 't helping control the citizens. The government said they needed to be revised so Virginia and New Jersey both made an attempt at fixing them. The Virginia Plan was written May 29,1787 and the New Jersey Plan was written shortly after on June 15, 1787. Both plans were preposals for forms of government and both had many flaws.
Finally, the Small State-Large State Compromise is a framer of the constitution that helps guard against tyranny. “Representatives shall be appointed according to the population.” “The Senate of the the United States shall be composed to two senators from each state.” (Constitution of the United States of America, 1787) (Doc D) Each state had equal representation, yet the larger states had the representation the amount of people living in the state.
After a fiercely fought revolution, the newly independent American nation struggled to establish a concrete government amidst an influx of opposing ideologies. Loosely tied together by the Articles of Confederation, the thirteen sovereign states were far from united. As growing schisms in American society became apparent, an array of esteemed, prominent American men united in 1787 to form the basis of the United States government: the Constitution. Among the most eminent members of this convention were Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, James Madison, and Thomas Jefferson. These men, held to an almost godly stature, defined the future of the nation; but were their intentions as honest as they seemed?
The Civil War was an American blood shed. Tens of thousands of soldiers died each day… ALONE! The Civil War started in 1861.The U.S had even amount of slave and free states and then a guy named John Brown “invaded” the South. Abraham Lincoln then got elected president in 1860. Then there was the main moment… the Civil War broke out about slavery in 1861.
The Great Compromise which was founded at the Constitutional Convention wasn't formed without trouble. Many of the delegates that participated in the convention were wealthy landowners and lawyers, who owned many slaves. They failed to notice the diversity that excited within the nation. As they talked how to repair the Articles of Confederation, issues would arise that would create continuous debates amongst each other. One of the issues that would arise would be the nature of the new government.
Sectionalism The definition of the word sectionalism is the restriction of interest to a narrow sphere. There were 3 main sections that practiced sectionalism in the 1800s. These sections were the North, the South, and the West. A few events that created sectional conflict were tariffs, slavery, representation, and states rights.
The new constitution, a document granting the framework for a new democratic government, replacing the Articles of the Confederation. This new document gained approval from some of the citizens, but also raised questions and concerns from others. There was a constant back and forth between the two groups on whether or not the constitution should be ratified. This editorial provides historical background on the issue and expresses my opinion on which side I would’ve chosen.
In the Era of Good Feelings, sectionalism was a very important thing; it improved the feeling of nationalism, helped the economy, and strengthened relationships between the states. But good things always have a consequence, and the result of sectionalism forced the people to rely on each other for their
loyalty to your state or lifestyle rather than to the whole country. The north was against sectionalism and the south liked it. The North wanted the government to rule laws for the whole country and south wanted to have each state choose their own laws individually. south also wanted to return any runaway slaves. (Mrs. Wise) "the Fugitive
Why was the Constitution a controversial document even as it was being written? Established in 1787 The Constitution was a controversial document because it was a document that could both solve the nation’s hardships and warped the Republican foundation. The Constitution on one hand would give the people a voice and the other would control the nation through a monarchy system. One of the controversies that arose from the creation of the Constitution was the question of management of commerce.