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Bill Of Rights Book Review

Decent Essays

The Bill of Rights by Carol Berkin offers a concise and carefully thought out explanation of how the famous document of amendments came to exist. In a time when America was vulnerable to its own government and structure due to the recent fight for Independence, the political figures quickly needed to find a solution to the weakness and confusion. James Madison stood out as the most influential statesman during this process. He was a Federalist, meaning that he believed in a national government, whereas the Anti Federalists preferred strong state governments. The Constitutional Convention’s outcome was rapidly met with backlash from a number of politicians. Thus, after long debates and quite a few arguments, a new solution was proposed: a Bill …show more content…

Each sentence holds a certain importance because each decision and argument that Berkin describes is essential to understanding how one of the most important political documents in America came to be. Additionally, Berkin does not ignore the Anti Federalist presence in these arguments; however, there is no hesitation in making her negative opinion of their thoughts obvious. Due to the fact that the goal of this book is to make citizens aware of such an overlooked but important document in American history, Carol Berkin succeeded flawlessly. Her effectiveness allowed for full persuasion and attention while reading. Although the final outcome is already known, there is still a sense of urgency to see what happened in those meeting rooms. Carol Berkin uses her knowledge and access to resources to retell a tale significant to the success of American politics after a period of vulnerability. Any American citizen who is interested in politics should read this book. The clashing of ideas in the past is strikingly similar to those of the present day, and it is documents like the Bill of Rights that provide a focus and backbone for discussion. Thanks to Carol Berkin, this brilliant piece of writing introduces the ten amendments from which we base our civil liberties. The incisive nature of the writing in this book furthers the understanding and appreciation of American

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