Synopses & Reviews
The ultimate record of the nation's birth, now in a collector's boxed set: During the secret proceedings of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, the framers created a fundamentally new national plan to replace the Articles of Confederation and then submitted it to conventions in each state for ratification. Immediately, a fierce storm of argument broke. Gathering hundreds of original texts by Franklin, Madison, Jefferson, Washington, and Patrick Henryas well as many others less well known todaythis unrivaled collection allows readers to experience firsthand the intense year-long struggle that created what remains the worlds oldest working national charter. Here in full are the essential Federalist Papers by Madison and Hamilton in their original dramatic context; the case against the new constitution by Virginian George Mason; and the crucial compromise forged by John Hancock and Samuel Adams in Massachusetts. The set also includes complete texts of the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and Constitution (with all amendments); detailed biographical profiles of all authors; informative notes; and a full historical chronology.
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"The best resource for understanding the morning headlines I've seen in a long time."
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"An easily accessible set of sacred writings for America's civil religion, these two books are composed of the very stuff of history."
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"Not only is it wonderful writing, it is wonderful thinking."
About the Author
BERNARD BAILYN is Adams University Professor and James Duncan Phillips Professor of Early American History, emeritus, at Harvard University. He is the author many acclaimed works, including The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution and Voyagers to the West: A Passage in the Peopling of America on the Eve of the Revolution.