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The First Congress : how James Madison, George Washington, and a group of extraordinary men invented the government / Fergus M. Bordewich.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: New York : Simon & Schuster, 2016Edition: First Simon & Schuster hardcover editionDescription: xv, 396 pages : illustrations ; 25 cmContent type:
  • text
Media type:
  • unmediated
Carrier type:
  • volume
ISBN:
  • 9781451691931
  • 1451691939
Subject(s):
Contents:
Preface: Nebuchadnezzar's monster -- An ocean always turbulent -- The fostering hand of government -- A new era -- Pomp and quiddling -- A very perplexing business -- A great and delicate subject -- Vile politics -- Propositions of a doubtful nature -- Paper guarantees -- A centre without parallel -- Interlude I -- The labyrinth of finance -- A gross national iniquity -- The trumpet of sedition -- Cabals, meetings, plots & counterplots -- A southern position -- Indians -- Interlude II -- Freedom's favorite seat -- A most mischievous engine -- Epilogue: American dawn.
Summary: "The little known story of perhaps the most productive Congress in US history, the First Federal Congress of 1789-1791. The First Congress was the most important in US history, says prizewinning author and historian Fergus Bordewich, because it established how our government would actually function. Had it failed--as many at the time feared it would--it's possible that the United States as we know it would not exist today. The Constitution was a broad set of principles. It was left to the members of the First Congress and President George Washington to create the machinery that would make the government work. Fortunately, James Madison, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and others less well known today, rose to the occasion. During two years of often fierce political struggle, they passed the first ten amendments to the Constitution; they resolved bitter regional rivalries to choose the site of the new national capital; they set in place the procedure for admitting new states to the union; and much more. But the First Congress also confronted some issues that remain to this day: the conflict between states' rights and the powers of national government; the proper balance between legislative and executive power; the respective roles of the federal and state judiciaries; and funding the central government. Other issues, such as slavery, would fester for decades before being resolved. The First Congress tells the dramatic story of the two remarkable years when Washington, Madison, and their dedicated colleagues struggled to successfully create our government, an achievement that has lasted to the present day."--Publisher website.
Holdings
Item type Home library Collection Call number Materials specified Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Adult Book Adult Book Main Library NonFiction 328.7309 B728 Available 33111008370211
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The little known story of perhaps the most productive Congress in US history, the First Federal Congress of 1789-1791.

The First Congress was the most important in US history, says prizewinning author and historian Fergus Bordewich, because it established how our government would actually function. Had it failed--as many at the time feared it would--it's possible that the United States as we know it would not exist today.

The Constitution was a broad set of principles. It was left to the members of the First Congress and President George Washington to create the machinery that would make the government work. Fortunately, James Madison, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and others less well known today, rose to the occasion. During two years of often fierce political struggle, they passed the first ten amendments to the Constitution; they resolved bitter regional rivalries to choose the site of the new national capital; they set in place the procedure for admitting new states to the union; and much more. But the First Congress also confronted some issues that remain to this day: the conflict between states' rights and the powers of national government; the proper balance between legislative and executive power; the respective roles of the federal and state judiciaries; and funding the central government. Other issues, such as slavery, would fester for decades before being resolved.

The First Congress tells the dramatic story of the two remarkable years when Washington, Madison, and their dedicated colleagues struggled to successfully create our government, an achievement that has lasted to the present day.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 369-377) and index.

Preface: Nebuchadnezzar's monster -- An ocean always turbulent -- The fostering hand of government -- A new era -- Pomp and quiddling -- A very perplexing business -- A great and delicate subject -- Vile politics -- Propositions of a doubtful nature -- Paper guarantees -- A centre without parallel -- Interlude I -- The labyrinth of finance -- A gross national iniquity -- The trumpet of sedition -- Cabals, meetings, plots & counterplots -- A southern position -- Indians -- Interlude II -- Freedom's favorite seat -- A most mischievous engine -- Epilogue: American dawn.

"The little known story of perhaps the most productive Congress in US history, the First Federal Congress of 1789-1791. The First Congress was the most important in US history, says prizewinning author and historian Fergus Bordewich, because it established how our government would actually function. Had it failed--as many at the time feared it would--it's possible that the United States as we know it would not exist today. The Constitution was a broad set of principles. It was left to the members of the First Congress and President George Washington to create the machinery that would make the government work. Fortunately, James Madison, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and others less well known today, rose to the occasion. During two years of often fierce political struggle, they passed the first ten amendments to the Constitution; they resolved bitter regional rivalries to choose the site of the new national capital; they set in place the procedure for admitting new states to the union; and much more. But the First Congress also confronted some issues that remain to this day: the conflict between states' rights and the powers of national government; the proper balance between legislative and executive power; the respective roles of the federal and state judiciaries; and funding the central government. Other issues, such as slavery, would fester for decades before being resolved. The First Congress tells the dramatic story of the two remarkable years when Washington, Madison, and their dedicated colleagues struggled to successfully create our government, an achievement that has lasted to the present day."--Publisher website.

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