Carol Berkin

At 7:30 a.m. on June 16, 1944, George Junius Stinney Jr. was escorted by four guards to the death chamber. Wearing socks but no shoes, the 14-year-old Black boy walked with his Bible tucked under his arm. The guards strapped his slight, five-foot-one-inch frame into the electric chair. His small size made it difficult to affix the electrode to his right leg and the face mask, which was clearly too large, fell to the floor when the executioner flipped the switch. That day, George Stinney became, and today remains, the youngest person executed in the United States during the twentieth century. How was it possible, even in Jim Crow South Carolina, for a child to be convicted, sentenced to death, and executed based on circumstantial evidence in a trial that lasted only a few hours? Through extensive archival research and interviews with Stinney's contemporaries-men and women alive today who still carry distinctive memories of the events that rocked the small town of Alcolu and the entire state-Eli Faber pieces together the chain of events that led to this tragic injustice. The first book to fully explore the events leading to Stinney's death, The Child in the Electric Chair offers a compelling narrative with a meticulously researched analysis of the world in which Stinney lived-the era of lynching, segregation, and racist assumptions about Black Americans. Faber explains how a systemically racist system, paired with the personal ambitions of powerful individuals, turned a blind eye to human decency and one of the basic tenets of the American legal system that individuals are innocent until proven guilty. As society continues to grapple with the legacies of racial injustice, the story of George Stinney remains one that can teach us lessons about our collective past and present. By ably placing the Stinney case into a larger context, Faber reveals how this case is not just a travesty of justice locked in the era of the Jim Crow South but rather one that continues to resonate in our own time. A foreword is provided by Carol Berkin, Presidential Professor of History Emerita at Baruch College at the City University of New York and author of several books including Civil War Wives: The Lives and Times of Angelina Grimke Weld, Varina Howell Davis, and Julia Dent Grant.

Today the United States is the dominant power in world affairs, and that status seems assured. Yet in the decade following the ratification of the Constitution, the republic's existence was contingent and fragile, challenged by domestic rebellions, foreign interference, and the always-present danger of collapse into mob rule. Carol Berkin reveals that the nation survived almost entirely due to the actions of the Federalist leadership-George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and John Adams. Reacting to successive crises, they extended the power of the federal government and fended off foreign attempts to subvert American sovereignty. As Berkin argues, the result was a spike in nationalism, as ordinary citizens began to identify with their nation first, their home states second. While the Revolution freed the states and the Constitution linked them as never before, this landmark work shows that it was the Federalists who transformed the states into an enduring nation.

"Narrative, celebratory history at its purest" (Publishers Weekly)--the real story of how the Bill of Rights came to be: a vivid account of political strategy, big egos, and the partisan interests that set the terms of the ongoing contest between the federal government and the states. Those who argue that the Bill of Rights reflects the founding fathers' "original intent" are wrong. The Bill of Rights was actually a brilliant political act executed by James Madison to preserve the Constitution, the federal government, and the latter's authority over the states. In the skilled hands of award-winning historian Carol Berkin, the story of the founders' fight over the Bill of Rights comes alive in a drama full of partisanship, clashing egos, and cunning manipulation. In 1789, the nation faced a great divide around a question still unanswered today: should broad power and authority reside in the federal government or should it reside in state governments? The Bill of Rights, from protecting religious freedom to the people's right to bear arms, was a political ploy first and a matter of principle second. The truth of how and why Madison came to devise this plan, the debates it caused in the Congress, and its ultimate success is more engrossing than any of the myths that shroud our national beginnings. The debate over the Bill of Rights still continues through many Supreme Court decisions. By pulling back the curtain on the short-sighted and self-interested intentions of the founding fathers, Berkin reveals the anxiety many felt that the new federal government might not survive--and shows that the true "original intent" of the Bill of Rights was simply to oppose the Antifederalists who hoped to diminish the government's powers. This book is "a highly readable American history lesson that provides a deeper understanding of the Bill of Rights, the fears that generated it, and the miracle of the amendments" (Kirkus Reviews).

Tells the fascinating stories of the myriad women who shaped the early modern North American world from the colonial era through the first years of the Republic Women in Early America, edited by Thomas A. Foster, goes beyond the familiar stories of Pocahontas or Abigail Adams, recovering the lives and experiences of lesser-known women—both ordinary and elite, enslaved and free, Indigenous and immigrant—who lived and worked in not only British mainland America, but also New Spain, New France, New Netherlands, and the West Indies. In these essays we learn about the conditions that women faced during the Salem witchcraft panic and the Spanish Inquisition in New Mexico; as indentured servants in early Virginia and Maryland; caught up between warring British and Native Americans; as traders in New Netherlands and Detroit; as slave owners in Jamaica; as Loyalist women during the American Revolution; enslaved in the President's house; and as students and educators inspired by the air of equality in the young nation. Foster showcases the latest research of junior and senior historians, drawing from recent scholarship informed by women's and gender history—feminist theory, gender theory, new cultural history, social history, and literary criticism. Collectively, these essays address the need for scholarship on women's lives and experiences. Women in Early America heeds the call of feminist scholars to not merely reproduce male-centered narratives, "add women, and stir," but to rethink master narratives themselves so that we may better understand how women and men created and developed our historical past.

Tells the fascinating stories of the myriad women who shaped the early modern North American world from the colonial era through the first years of the Republic Women in Early America, edited by Thomas A. Foster, goes beyond the familiar stories of Pocahontas or Abigail Adams, recovering the lives and experiences of lesser-known women—both ordinary and elite, enslaved and free, Indigenous and immigrant—who lived and worked in not only British mainland America, but also New Spain, New France, New Netherlands, and the West Indies. In these essays we learn about the conditions that women faced during the Salem witchcraft panic and the Spanish Inquisition in New Mexico; as indentured servants in early Virginia and Maryland; caught up between warring British and Native Americans; as traders in New Netherlands and Detroit; as slave owners in Jamaica; as Loyalist women during the American Revolution; enslaved in the President's house; and as students and educators inspired by the air of equality in the young nation. Foster showcases the latest research of junior and senior historians, drawing from recent scholarship informed by women's and gender history—feminist theory, gender theory, new cultural history, social history, and literary criticism. Collectively, these essays address the need for scholarship on women's lives and experiences. Women in Early America heeds the call of feminist scholars to not merely reproduce male-centered narratives, "add women, and stir," but to rethink master narratives themselves so that we may better understand how women and men created and developed our historical past.

Developed to meet the demand for a low-cost, high-quality history book, this economically priced version of MAKING AMERICA, Seventh Edition offers readers the complete narrative while limiting the number of features, photos, and maps. All volumes feature a two-color paperback format. Shaped with a clear political chronology, MAKING AMERICA reflects the variety of individual experiences and cultures that comprise American society. The book provides a clear narrative and an integrated program of learning aids that make the historical content vivid and comprehensible to readers at all levels of preparedness.

Developed to meet the demand for a low-cost, high-quality history book, this economically priced version of MAKING AMERICA, Seventh Edition offers readers the complete narrative while limiting the number of features, photos, and maps. All volumes feature a two-color paperback format. Shaped with a clear political chronology, MAKING AMERICA reflects the variety of individual experiences and cultures that comprise American society. The book provides a clear narrative and an integrated program of learning aids that make the historical content vivid and comprehensible to readers at all levels of preparedness.

Shaped with a clear political chronology, MAKING AMERICA reflects the variety of individual experiences and cultures that comprise American society. The authors' goal is to spark readers' curiosity and invite them to explore and “do” history rather than simply read about it. The book conveys the surprising twists and turns as well as the individual and collective tales of success and failure that are the real story of the American past. The strongly chronological narrative, together with visuals and an integrated program of learning aids, makes the historical content vivid and comprehensible.

Shaped with a clear political chronology, MAKING AMERICA reflects the variety of individual experiences and cultures that comprise American society. The authors' goal is to spark readers' curiosity and invite them to explore and “do” history rather than simply read about it. The book conveys the surprising twists and turns as well as the individual and collective tales of success and failure that are the real story of the American past. The strongly chronological narrative, together with visuals and an integrated program of learning aids, makes the historical content vivid and comprehensible.

Shaped with a clear political chronology, MAKING AMERICA reflects the variety of individual experiences and cultures that comprise American society. The authors' goal is to spark readers' curiosity and invite them to explore and “do” history rather than simply read about it. The book conveys the surprising twists and turns as well as the individual and collective tales of success and failure that are the real story of the American past. The strongly chronological narrative, together with visuals and an integrated program of learning aids, makes the historical content vivid and comprehensible.

MAKING AMERICA: A HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, BRIEF SIXTH EDITION, presents history as a dynamic process shaped by human expectations, difficult choices, and often the surprising consequences. With this focus on history as a process, MAKING AMERICA encourages readers to think historically and to develop into citizens who value the past. The clear chronology, straightforward narrative, and strong thematic structure emphasize communication over intimidation and appeal to readers of varied learning levels. The Brief Sixth Edition retains a hallmark feature of the MAKING AMERICA program: pedagogical tools that allow readers to master complex material and enable them to develop analytical skills. Every chapter has chapter outlines, chronologies, focus questions, and on-page glossaries (defining both key terms and general vocabulary) to provide guidance throughout the text; the open, inviting design allows readers to access and use pedagogy to improve learning. A wealth of images throughout provides a visual connection to the past, with captions that help readers analyze the subject of the painting, photograph, or artifact from an historical point of view. "Investigating America" gets to the heart of learning history: reading and analyzing primary sources. A new feature, "In The Wider World" introduces a global perspective for each chapter. In addition, a new map program provides clear, visually engaging maps with globe insets to put the map in a global context. Available in the following split options: MAKING AMERICA, Brief Sixth Edition Complete, Volume 1: To 1877, and Volume 2: Since 1865. Available with InfoTrac Student Collections http: //gocengage.com/infotrac.

In the Words of Women brings together the writings—letters, diaries, journals, pamphlets, poems, plays, depositions, and newspaper articles of women who lived between 1765 and 1799. The writings are organized chronologically around events, battles, and developments from before the Revolution, through its prosecution and aftermath. They reflect the thoughts, observations and experiences of women during those tumultuous times, women less well known to the reading public, including patriots and loyalists; the highborn and lowly; Native Americans and blacks, both free and enslaved; the involved and observers; the young and old; and those in between. Brief narrative passages provide historical context, and information about the women as they are introduced enable readers to appreciate their relevance and significance. For more information on this topic, please visit the author's website at www.inthewordsofwomen.com.

MAKING AMERICA: A HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, BRIEF, International Edition, presents history as a dynamic process shaped by human expectations, difficult choices, and often the surprising consequences. With this focus on history as a process, MAKING AMERICA encourages students to think historically and to develop into citizens who value the past. The clear chronology, straightforward narrative, and strong thematic structure emphasize communication over intimidation, and appeal to students of varied learning levels. The Brief Fifth Edition retains a hallmark feature of the MAKING AMERICA program: pedagogical tools that allow students to master complex material and enable them to develop analytical skills. Every chapter has chapter outlines, chronologies, focus questions, and in-text glossaries to provide guidance throughout the text. A new feature called Investigating America gets to the heart of learning history: reading and analyzing primary sources. The text's new open, inviting design allows students to access and use pedagogy to improve learning.

Historian Carol Berkin's A Brilliant Solution: Inventing the American Constitution is a rich narrative portrait of post-revolutionary America and the men who shaped its political future. "Just as the Constitution was a brilliant solution to the problems of the 1780s, Carol Berkin's book is a brilliant account of the making of that constitution. Written with great verve and clarity, it nicely captures all the contingency and unpredictability in the framing of the Constitution."--Pulitzer Prize-winning author Gordon S. WoodThough the American Revolution is widely recognized as our nation's founding story, the years immediately following the war -- when our government was a disaster and the country was in a terrible crisis -- were in fact the most crucial in establishing the country's independence. The group of men who traveled to Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 had no idea what kind of history their meeting would make. But all their ideas, arguments, and compromises -- from the creation of the Constitution itself, article by article, to the insistence that it remain a living, evolving document -- laid the foundation for a government that has surpassed the founders' greatest hopes. Revisiting all the original historical documents of the period and drawing from her deep knowledge of eighteenth-century politics, Carol Berkin opens up the hearts and minds of America's founders, revealing the issues they faced, the times they lived in, and their humble expectations of success.