Please open https://hotaudiobook.com ONLY on your standard browser Safari, Chrome, Microsoft or Firefox to download full audiobooks of your choice for free.

Title: A Brilliant Solution

Subtitle: Inventing the American Constitution

Author: Carol Berkin

Narrator: Jo Anna Perrin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-14-17

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 3 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

We know - and love - the story of the American Revolution, from the Declaration of Independence to Cornwallis' 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 18th-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 listener into the hearts and minds of the founders, exposing their fears and their limited expectations of success.

Members Reviews:

Conventional Convention

Author Carol Berkin offers a look inside the Constitutional Convention of 1787. This is a topic that has been explored a number of times in recent years. Professor Berkin, in her introduction to this book, explains that recent events, notably Bush v. Gore in 2000 and '911' in 2001 stimulated her interest in exploring, " What political crisis had the founding fathers faced, and how did they react to them. What problems did they hope to solve when they... drafted the new constitution. What role did they envision for the president and other branches...in times of calm or crisis. What dangers did they think lay ahead for their nation?" A weighty task and one that would separate this book from many of the others. Professor Berkin discussed this book on C-SPAN.org on Nov 13, 2002 and the (42-min) video is available to stream.

The read is easy - few if any prerequisites are expected of the reader for comprehension of the story to come. In fact, the book is probably aimed at a lay-audience, it dispenses altogether with citations normally used to back-up assertions, reinforce a point, or credit a source. The book concludes with brief biographic vignettes of each of the delegates, a nice touch that brings life and some comprehension for the lesser heard members of the delegation. There are occasional instances of editorial 'surprise'; Washington, "...was the only genuinely national figure attending the convention" (pg. 33) - apparently forgetting Benjamin Franklin's international renown. And on page 57, Charles Pinckney, "was willing to lie and cheat if it worked to his advantage." With no citations; a text example or two would have seemed only fair before or after dissing' Charles' reputation. Robert, "The Financier of the Revolution" Morris oddly (and awkwardly?) becomes "Bob" Morris in Berkin's narrative - and perhaps he was - but her use of the nick-name is a first among many similar accounts and the only informality ('Bill' S. Johnson? 'Chuck' Pinckney? 'Jim' Wilson? etc.) Berkin bewilders again on pg.