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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Political Battle for the Constitution Of The United States, June 26, 2005
With the recent spate of published books on the era of the American Revolution (see "1776" for starters), Mr. Cerami fills a void in his tale of the creation and the subsequent ratification of the US Constitution in 1787-1788. "Young Patriots" tells the story of what kind of nation should the United States be -- a loose collection of sovereign states or a strong sovereign nation with centralized powers.
Most Americans are unaware of the little-known political brawl over the ratification process that nearly failed to pass the Constitution -- i.e. New York approved it by a nail-biting vote of 30-27 while Virginia had a narrow 89-79 margin. Alexander Hamilton of New York and James Madison of Virginia were the winning "floor managers" for the Federalists of their respective states.
"Young Patriots" is a readable, lively account of the birth of American politics. Mr. Cerami wrote a political sequel of sorts with "Jefferson's Great Gamble" (2003), his rendition of the Louisiana Purchase. Other tales of this fascinating era includes Catherine Drinker Bowen's "Miracle At Philadelphia" (1966), another perspective on the Constitutional Convention, and Joel Achenbach's "The Grand Idea" (2004), the story of the deals made for the founding of our nation's capital.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Overview of Two Exceptional Americans, October 21, 2005
Alexander Hamilton and James Madison truly formed a great combination as they helped to develop the constitution. The book follows the paths of two prodigies from vastly different backgrounds and describes how they were able to become the two primary sources for the development and eventual passage of the greatest document to govern the activities of government.
Rather than try to compose two biographies within one book, Charles Cerami lightly touches upon the personal lives of Hamilton and Madison, yet provides sufficient information for the reader to understand the formative years of the two brilliant political theorists. The majority of the material then passes onto the Constitutional Convention and the other founders who were influential in the composition of the governmental framework.
Cerami's work concludes with the difficulty the founders faced in persuading Anti-Federalists and a skeptical public that the complete reconstruction of the government was a significant necessity. This is where we find Hamilton and Madison at their finest. The exceptional pair collaborated to produce one of the greatest works of political theory in what became known as The Federalist Papers, in order to encourage passage of the constitution. Unfortunately, once they witnessed the approval of this famous document and assumed leading roles in the new government, differences began to surface between the two which led to political opposition.
Cerami was successful in exposing these differences, yet maintaining a positive theme throughout the book. His admiration for both gentlemen and his pride in their accomplishments are evident through his writing. He avoided the personality flaws of each man that have already been sufficiently written about and refused to dwell upon their personal lives. It was refreshing to read about Hamilton without being subjected to the incident that many people associate him with-the duel with Aaron Burr. Additionally, it was good to see that Madison truly was his own man, rather than some sycophant to Thomas Jefferson as some authors have categorized him.
The reader is provided a unique view of the events surrounding that famous period in American history. You will walk away with a greater appreciation of the talents of Hamilton and Madison and realize how instrumental they were to promoting the idea of a constitutional convention, producing the ideas behind the constitution, and ensuring its passage during the comfirmation process.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good insight mixed in with a lot of unneccesary content, June 24, 2006
Overall, I enjoyed reading the book (please keep this in mind as you read what I am about to say), but I often found myself questioning if some of the information Cerami includes is necessary given the subject of the book. For example, in the chapter entitled "Jefferson Reacts," he spend most of the chapter talking about what Jefferson was writing about during his time in Paris, and only at the end shares Jefferson's reaction to the proposed Constitution. In dealing with Washington, he talks a great deal about his love of farming and his relationship with the Society of the Cincinnati, which while important for background and mindset is way overdone at the expense of more pertinent information.
Yet, while there is excess in those areas, information on other people and subjects are lacking. While the title and cover implies a major role for Hamilton that is not the case for significant periods in the book. I yearned for more pertinent info on Washington and other supposedly key figures such as Franklin and Read. I felt areas like the later stages of the convention, the actual signing, the mindset of general population, were rushed and only touched the surface.
If you delete the unnecessary content, I felt this 320 page book (paperback) could easily be cut of 75 to 100 pages. Yet, if some of the giant historical figures in the book, key supporting characters, and aforementioned breezed over areas where discussed more in-depth and in a focused manner, the book could easily double in size. In short, I learned a lot and enjoyed the book, but would have liked more focus.
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