Archival Project : Antebellum Literary Journal

David O. Stewart, by profession, is a lawyer with a resume that includes everything from arguing appeals at the Supreme Court level to serving as a law court to the acclaimed Junior Powell. But in writing The Summer of 1787: The Men Who Invented the Constitution (specifically, I read the First Simon & Schuster trade paperback edition May 2008, copyrighted in 2007), he uses that experience in law to prove himself a gifted storyteller. Two hundred sixty-four pages long, this United States history nonfiction book does indeed have the substance to engage the reader throughout. It has special features that include two appendices featuring the elector system and the actual constitution of 1787, author’s notes, suggested further reading, acknowledgments and an index (which escalate the total length of the book to three hundred forty-nine pages long).

The Federalist Papers written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay are one of the greatest collections of literature from the time period of 1787 to 1788 when the Constitution was being ratified by the states. This collection of eighty-five essays was written for the states, to help them better understand and grasp a concept of why they should vote for the ratification of The Constitution. Why did the Madison, Hamilton, and Jay write The Federalist Papers and what is there underlying meaning? Who were James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay? What was Madison trying to say in regards to the concept of federalism, separation of powers, republics and ratifying the Constitution and why? Each of these questions can be further explored and answered in Madison’s Federalist #51. By analyzing #51, with the addition of #10, clarity can be gained on the meaning behind these essays and there obvious importance to the nation’s history.

The Federalists Papers were written in the eighteenth century by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay in an effort to persuade New Yorkers to ratify the new U.S. Constitution. These papers are said to be the key that unlocks the true interpretation and meaning of the Unites Sates Constitution. One of the controversial topics relating to the Constitution that the Federalists Papers help to straighten out, is the practice of judicial review by the Supreme Court. In this essay, I will point out many of the examples Alexander Hamilton gives in Federalist No. 78 that support the idea of the Supreme Court having power of judicial review over all levels of

Over the course of this class, we have read, investigated, discussed, and learned the similarities and differences between the Vermont and U.S. Constitutions. Although quite similar in diction and viewpoints, there are tiny discrepancies between the two, more often than not being one single word or phrase. These small points may seem insignificant, but in actuality, they make things much more complex.

The Federalist Papers contains eighty-five essays written by John Jay, James Madison and Alexander Hamilton. These essays were published anonymously under the name “Publius” in several different New York State news articles. The essays were written in hopes of persuading New Yorkers to ratify the United States Constitution. It contains detailed provisions of the Constitution. Today, the Federalist Papers are still in use to help those drafting the Constitution because James Madison and Alexander Hamilton were members of the Constitutional Convention.

In the book “A Brilliant Solution: Inventing the American Constitution” by Carol Berkin she explains the constitution from start to finish from how it all began, to the debates inside the convention and finally the end product. Berkin takes the reader and puts him directly in the middle of the convention of 1786; throughout the book you can feel the excitement, the frustration, the tensions between delegates and the overall commitment to making a new government work for all.

Artfully crafted, historically accurate, eloquently written, and very captivating are all phrases that could be used to describe Our Lives, Our Fortunes and Our Sacred Honor. Not only does this book take the reader back in time to the two Continental Conventions that met from 1774-1776, but it also brings alive all of the major delegates who were pivotal players in these meetings and discussions. Richard Beeman does a great job of describing these meetings with great accuracy, as well as in great detail. Not only does he tell the story well, he makes it easy and enjoyable to read. Our Lives, Our Fortunes and Our Sacred Honor is a masterful depiction of some of the most important years of American history and brings the road to the decision

The period before the Civil War in 1861, and after the War of 1812, was known as the antebellum period. During this period of time, the economy, the population, and the interest in politics rose to a substantial amount. Religion also served as a strong survival tactic for slaves, as they adopted and adapted to Christianity. Not only Tennessee, but the south in its entirety made up a nice portion of the economy because of the businesses it had going on.

Samuel Seabury, when writing the Letters of A Westchester Farmer, is debating in the press the legitimacy of the Continental Congress that meet in Philadelphia a few months before, condemning this gathering as subversive to the British Empire and Seabury equates the colonial demand for legislative rights as arrogant and “whiggish nonsense”. Alexander Hamilton challenges these

The Constitution enormously fortified the national government to the detriment of the states. This article looks at how our Founding Fathers planned the Constitution, analyzing discoveries on the political and monetary components behind the procurements incorporated into the Constitution and its approval. The article talks about the perspectives of Charles Beard and his pundits and spotlights on late quantitative discoveries that clarify the making of the Constitution. These discoveries recommend that individual hobbies of the Founding Fathers, and in addition constituents' hobbies, assumed an imperative part in drafting the Constitution. They additionally recommend that financial and different hobbies assumed vital parts at the sanctioning

This essay is a review of the Decisions in Philadelphia: The Constitutional Convention of 1787. The body of this work will highlight a few of the differences found in Collier and Collier’s Decision in Philadelphia (2007) and Middlekauff’s The Glorious Cause (2005) and paint a picture for the reason for the convention, the need for a change from the Articles of Confederation, as well as some of the key takeaways from the Constitution that impact us still today. The Decision in Philadelphia highlights well the overarching theme of compromise. Compromise was and still is the cornerstone to the government in the United States of America. This essay will showcase this theme over and over as it was critical to allow for the collective good to succeed. Webster’s dictionary defines compromise as the settlement of differences by arbitration or by consent reached by mutual concessions. Compromise is further defined as the blending qualities of different things, those different things were the ideals, principles, and values of the Constitution’s framers.

It is May 14 of the year 1787. Gathered here, today, I am joined by fifty-five other members at the Pennsylvania State House, here in Philadelphia. I am joined by George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. We have come together to turn our attention to the dire need for change. For so long has our nation continued to function, unaware and oblivious to the problems carefully concealed beneath our very foundation...so does a predator who waits upon its prey at its most vulnerable state. We must act in order to prevent such a downfall.

One if by land, two if by Sea. In 1775, a man by the name of Paul Revere was instructed to use lanterns as a signal as to how the British troops were advancing. This is one of the most famous incidents in our great country’s history. The Revolutionary War was the beginning of a great and long history to come. I have always been fascinated with our history and while learning, I have come to appreciate it much more. There were many events in our pre-Civil War history that have been interesting to me, but when picking out a few that really got my interest I have to go with something relatable to my life now. War has been the most fascinating to me and being a prior military member, and a veteran of the Iraq war myself, battles from the Revolutionary

On a mostly forgotten day in American history, September 14, 1786, Alexander Hamilton called for a “Grand Convention” of the newly independent American states to amend the struggling Articles of Confederation. He did so with the approval of twelve delegates from five states that convened in Annapolis originally for the purpose of discussing interstate trade. What these delegates didn’t realize is that the convention they were calling for would produce a document that would shape the course of human history.