Analysis of Miracle at Philadelphia by Catherine Drinker Bowen - Book Report/Review Example

Introduction Catherine Drinker Bowen tells us in "Miracle at Philadelphia: The Story of the Constitutional Convention - May to September 1787." Prior efforts at self government had been ongoing since the earliest settlements in the early decades of the 17th century. They included The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut in 1639 - West New Jerseys Fundamental Laws of 1677 - The Albany Plan of Union in 1754 which was rejected at that time - and numerous Resolutions, Instructions, Declarations, Articles and Ordinances of the revolutionary period. These, in turn, drew from classical and contemporary history and philosophy with which the more intellectual leaders in the colonies were intimately familiar One of the latest full-service entries in the history survey sweepstakes, American Passages is a beautiful text that is well-designed. It is written in an engaging style. The volumes have a friendly tone that is warm without being suffocating. Most students and faculty should find them appealing. The massive amount of carefully chosen illustrations of various kinds are nicely reproduced. The maps are also good, with some exceptions. Each paper volume has the same set of appendices, including the Declaration of Independence; the Constitution; the nations population, 1790-1998; the admission of states to the Union; presidential elections and administrations; and the justices of the Supreme Court. The volumes split in an unusual way, which is an improvement on the traditional arrangement, especially for Reconstruction specialists. There are two overlap chapters rather than one, and the second volume begins in mid-war, with early Union occupations and the first stirrings of release, rather than in 1865, reflecting an interpretative trend pioneered by Eric Foner. This novel approach owes much to the breadth and vision of lead author Edward L. Ayers, whose interest in and knowledge of Southern history and Civil War culture is well known. Volume one takes the story to 1877, ending with chapter sixteen, while volume two begins with chapter fifteen, "Blood and Freedom, 1863-1867." Two maps start each volume: the first shows the states and their capitals, with important places in the text highlighted; the second is topographical. Each section (two to four chapters) of the narrative has time lines with key dates for politics and diplomacy; social and cultural events; and economics and technology I first read this book several years ago for my high school American History class, and I just recently read it again. This book is excellent no matter what your age or understanding of U.S. History. One of its greatest advantages is that its narrative style makes the story of the Constitution so accessible. It is clear and easy to read; however, it does give a complete and thorough treatment of why the document was needed; the ideas and compromises that went into the document, and the debates that shaped the Constitution. They say you shouldnt judge a book by its cover but in this case you can tell a lot about the book just from its title. You cant expect any kind of objective commentary from something with the gushing title of "Miracle at Philadelphia". Ms Bowens work is another in the long tradition of encouraging worship of rather than understanding of the Founding Fathers. Having said that, it must be admitted that it does do so rather well. The book contains a wealth of detail without bogging down the storytelling. Of course the details presented are those which cast the Framers in a positive light. You wouldnt learn from reading this book that at the end of the Revolutionary War Robert Morris and Alexander Hamilton attempted a military coup to force a strong centralized administration of the United States. Or that Nathaniel Gorham, while President of Congress, had contacted European governments about becoming the King of America. This book stands out because it is one the most readable books you will find in the history section. It is very clear and you do get a lot of information about the time that representatives from all the states were in Philadelphia during a hot summer to write the Constitution It is unclear why the period before 1763 is "prehistory," since the main narrative begins with Columbus. Jamestowns location is wrong in the end papers map and two "prehistory" maps (pp. 1-2). The correct location comes at last on a larger-scale, more detailed map (p. 54). Software exists for publishers to pinpoint such a historic site consistently, even on small maps. To have a subheading like "The English Invade Virginia" (p. 45) implies a large military force, rather than barely one hundred men and boys, most of whom soon died. It would be years before the colonys success was certain. "Invasion" is a loaded term in this context. I once asked a class about the thesis of an assigned book with a similar title.[2] A big white male in the back of the room, who had never spoken up before, and never did again, said: "Red man good, white man bad." There are details on the probable background of Powhatans younger brother, Opechancanough, which are significant given his leadership of wars with the whites. I compared the information presented to me to The Constitution itself. To my surprise, the facts that were given about The Constitution matched the majority of the document. Having said that, the book is what I would consider a slow read. Its an alternative source to studying our Founding Fathers and what the author portrayed as their thought processes. If youre looking for another way to studying The Constitution itself, youre best off with a copy of the document in front of you. The book is very informative if you are doing research on the time period and the thoughts that plagued the minds of those who drafted it, but if youre looking for a fast-paced plot filled adventure, or even a plot alone, It defines clearly how the Constitution came about, what it meant, and how important a role compromise and sacrifice played in the matter. It describes the problems that were encountered, which helps to portray exactly how hard it was to get all of the delegates to accept the Constitution. It also gives background information of the delegates and their contribution to our country. After reading this book, an appreciation is developed for all the work that our forefathers put into the Constitution, and for the fact that it remains effective to this day. The Miracle at Philadelphia is definitely an asset to have in the classroom if one intends to fully understand the history of the Constitution and its benefits. . Shes such a good writer that you feel like you were there. She paints brief vivid portraits of all of the participants - many of them have famous names, of course - but theres something about her writing that makes the thing pop off the page. The image of Ben Franklin, with his gout, being carried in a chair by 4 servants to Independence Hall, etc. I mean, obviously, this is one of my favorite times in history - and this book really captures the spirit of why. These guys were BRAINIACS, first of all ... but what really blows me away is how they were just human beings, they couldnt see into the future, but they TRIED ... they tried to set up the constitution in a way to leave enough vagueness, enough ambiguity - that it would continue to be relevant as time went on. Its, frankly, amazing what they were able to accomplish. My only criticism is that the book sometimes glosses over the actual drafting of the document. While Ms. Bowen does a fine job of identifying the issues that were discussed, the explanations of how various issues were resolved are at times superficial. Perhaps because I am a lawyer I was looking for more substance than other readers might, but I think at times the desire to talk about the personalities and the times they lived in came at the expense of some of the substance of the This book uses reports, newspapers, journals, letters, and delegates diaries to outline what went on that led to the creation of the US Constitution. Some of the key sticking points for the delegates were whether the states would be represented equally or by population. The type of government was also a heavily debated topic. Some delegates wanted a large, powerful government similar to England. Others preferred a small, states-oriented government. There is also a lot of history into why the US inhabitants left England. This shows quite clearly why many did not want to re-create the country they had just vacated. The middle two chapters of the book take a break from the convention to describe the population of each state and their way of life in this new land. It also describes the land (both frontier and city) and what it was like to live and travel in those times. The later chapters dealt with how the Constitution was to be ratified, and the publics reaction to it. I didnt read these chapters in depth. I was pretty tired with the subject by then. Bowens book in which he sums up the accomplishments of the Convention - most of them unique at that time. A unified nation was peacefully created out of a confederation of independent states; A federal system of shared sovereignty was implemented; A constitution that was the "supreme law of the land" was ratified by the people of the independent states; An intricate network of checks and balances was contrived to "secure liberty," including separation of powers - an independent judiciary with final authority over the legitimacy of legislation - and a division of authority among local, state and national governments; Conversion of new territories into full-fledged states was provided for; Separation of church and state and a ban on religious tests for public office were included; Civilian control over the military was assured by making the President the Commander in Chief and providing Congress with total power of the purse and the (not-so-total) power to declare war. Regular elections were required for all political offices. The "general welfare" was designated as one of the primary purposes of the government; Summary Catherine Drinker Bowens book is a classic that tells how Americas founding fathers debated, compromised and struggled to create a permanent system of rebublican government in a world ruled by monarchs and absolutists. The debates are here, as well as the personalities. The story of how various elements of our governing structure were arrived at is fascinating as well as illuminating to any serious student of the American system. Important debates regarding the nature of the presidency, small state versus large state interests (how we got our Senate), the desirability of direct democracy versus state interests (part of how we got the Electoral College), the finessing of the slave issue -- its all here. Ms. Bowen does a superb job of painting a picture of the personalities involved, and more broadly, what life was like in America in the late 18th century. Miracle at Philadelphia is a great book for anyone looking to understand the facts regarding the founding fathers and the Constitutional Convention. Having been told to read this book for class, we expected it to be another boring, wordy book. However, the book turned out to be very informative. It was not a hard read and could easily been read in a relatively short amount of time. The book does not read like typical history books we were used to. It is more of a novel in the sense that it is not just bombarded with facts, but flows like a story should, without missing any details. The book did an excellent job of not only explaining the draft of the Constitution, but also everything that led up to it. By reading this book, we learned many things that were unclear and unknown about the founding fathers and the Constitutional Convention. The author explained in great detail, in such a way that was not boring for the reader. There were so many issues that were settled by compromise. Nonetheless, there were influential people who opposed the ratification of the Constitution in their state conventions. For example, in Virginia, Patrick Henry was concerned with the vesting of power in the people as opposed to the states and vigorously opposed ratification. The debates were fascinating and this book enjoyably chronicals them. Additionally, this book gives an interesting social history of this period of American history through the eyes of foreign visitors. Reference: [1]. Michael B. Chesson, "The Selling of Clio: American History College Survey Textbooks," International Journal of Social Education 2 (Winter 1987-88): 78-140. [2]. Francis Jennings, The Invasion of America: Indians, Colonialism, and the Cant of Conquest (N.Y.: Norton, 1976). [3]. Robert F. Berkhofer, Jr., The White Mans Indian: Images of the American Indian from Columbus to the Present (N.Y.: Knopf, 1978), 1-31. [5]. See the relevant passages of David E. Stannard, American Holocaust: The Conquest of the New World (N.Y.: Oxford, 1992). [6]. Chesson, "Selling of Clio," 78, 133 n. 2. [7]. Charles M. Andrews, The Colonial Period of American History: The Settlements, vol. 1 (New Haven: Yale, 1934), 47, 136-37 n. 4. Read More