Friday, June 15, 2012

The Constitutional Convention

 Hakim Vs. Wood in the sharing of History

      As we all have discovered, Hakim brings the history alive by allowing the reader to relate to our Founding Fathers. When reading chapter 36, “Summer in Philly,” Hakim sets the stage to the Constitutional Convention in May 1787.  It happened in the month of September, the Convention finally completed its business.  All had to deal with the heat, biting flies and big mosquitoes. “They bit right through the silk stockings that the delegates wore.” She also talks about how it would have smelled and paints a picture in the reader’s mind. There was garbage in the streets, no bathrooms, and they thought it to be unhealthy to take a bath. Wow! I can see and smell this story.

     Reading the event “The Philadelphia Convention” in the book “The American Revolution” written by Gordon S. Wood, tells me that James Madison was an important decision maker and tells of his opportunities he had. However, Hakim displays the character of our Founding Fathers that allows the reader to relate and visualize the story (history). On page 164 Hakim states, “A secretary was hired to keep a record of the proceedings.  His records were lost. But Madison sat close to the front, never missed a session, and copied down all the speeches.” This paints a picture of the passion Madison had for what he was doing.  He was called, “The Father of the Constitution.”  This truly depicted his character. While Wood gives a good account of the Constitutional Convention, Hakim paints the character so the reader can relate to the situation, allowing for better understanding, and keeping the interest of the reader.