Plain, Honest Men, Richard Beeman
Plain, Honest Men, Richard Beeman
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Plain, Honest Men
The Making of the American Constitution

Author: Richard Beeman

Narrator: Michael Prichard

Unabridged: 19 hr 19 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 05/21/2009

Synopsis

The Constitutional Convention affected nothing less than a revolution in the nature of the American government. Led by James Madison, a small cohort of delegates devised a plan that would radically alter the balance of power between state and national governments, and then sprung that idea on a largely unsuspecting convention. The success of this bold and brilliant strategy was, however, far from assured, and the ultimate outcome of the delegates' labors—the creation of a frame of government that would enable the fragile American union to flourish—turned out to be very different from that which Madison had originally envisioned. In fact, there was very little agreement among the framers about the nature of the government they had just created.

Audiences will come to appreciate the challenges that the Founding Fathers faced in creating a form of government that, while imperfect in many respects, nevertheless approaches, in the words of Benjamin Franklin, "so near to perfection as it does."

About Richard Beeman

Richard Beeman has been on the faculty of the Department of History at the University of Pennsylvania for thirty-six years. He is a historian of the American Revolutionary Era and has written six books and several dozen articles on aspects of America's political and constitutional history in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. His fifth book, The Varieties of Political Experience in Eighteenth Century America, is a wide-ranging, interpretive study of the uncertain and confused origins of democracy in America. His other books include Patrick Henry: A Biography, The Evolution of the Southern Backcountry, and The Old Dominion and the New Nation, 1788-1801. Beeman has served as chair of the Department of History and as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. He also continues to serve as chair of the Program and Exhibits Committee of the Board of Trustees of the National Constitution Center. He earned his MA from the College of William and Mary, and his PhD from the University of Chicago.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Piker7977

Beeman's Plain, Honest Men: The Making of the American Constitution is a superb example of readable and informative history. He does three things particularly well: Beeman provides effective sketches of the delegates who attended the Constitutional Convention, describes the ideas and beliefs associa......more

Goodreads review by Todd

You’ve probably heard the quote "Laws are like sausages. It's better not to see them being made." Well … nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to the U.S. Constitution which was written during the Constitutional Convention that took place from May 25 to September 17, 1787 in Philadel......more

Goodreads review by Mark

“While some have boasted it (the Constitution) as a work from Heaven, others have given it a less righteous origin. I have many reasons to believe that it is the work of plain, honest men.” – Gouverneur Morris, delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention This week, like many other weeks for the la......more

Goodreads review by Dan

A great and informative read on the founding fathers and the arduous process of constructing the American constitution. A must read for those that read half baked 'history books' like Zinn's book or other persons proclaiming systematic racism. Imperfect men (as we all are) attempting to achieve some......more

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