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Essential for any Constitutional scholar or citizen that wants to know the true origins of the United States.
Interesting to read the thoughts of the delegates in their own words once you get comfortable with the 18th century language
Our Constitution arose out of conflict, compromise, and challenges of forming a new nation. We are still in that debate today.
This book is merely a recitation of debates with absolutely no analysis. It lacks depth in many ways. This book teaches nothing beyond a basic high school U.S. History class.
This was an interesting read. If you're interested in the constitution and want a better understanding of the process behind its creation, this is a good place to start.
The creation of the US constitutionJames Madison's notes from the constitutional convention provide insights into the issues of the day. Much of the discussion involved slavery, which almost prevented the creation of a federal government. Whether slaves were people or property was not resolved. Also interesting was the skeptical view of the people's ability to choose good leaders or in stead be swayed by a demagog.
fascinating.
This is a must read for every America citizen. The part where the delegates argued about the office of the President in front of George Washington - who they all knew would be the first to hold the office - was especially juicy. I also found it interesting that at one point Ben Franklin recommended that they open the convention each day with prayer. He thought this would minimize the bickering and keep them all focused on finding common ground through the guidance of God."Let it not be said that...
Provides fascinating and necessary insight into the vast amount of thinking that went into crafting the U.S. Constitution, and the debates in James Madison's notes still resonate today in ways that are at once excitingly and eerily relevant to our own times. It is almost literary in its structure, and you can imagine Hamilton, Madison, and others being "in the room where it happens" even as a tragic sense of fatalism pervades all the discussions of slavery. In short, if you want to better unders...
This edited edition does a terrific job of highlighting the key debates from the convention. The narrative moves along quite quickly and it’s fairly short. It was especially useful to me as it gave me ideas for my class. I have read some books about the constitutional convention, but reading Madison’s actual notes provides a much more vivid perspective.
This is a very important book that shows us just how much of a struggle it was for the Founding Fathers to write the Constitution. Subjects like small states vs. large states, rich vs. poor, and North vs. South come up again and again. This particular edition is heavily edited from Madison's orginal notes but, nonetheless, is an invaluable resource.