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Plain, Honest Men: The Making of the American Constitution
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Author
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Richard Beeman.
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Publisher
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Random House
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Format
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paperback
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Product Dimensions
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8.25
x
5.5
x
1.2
inches
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ISBN
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9780812976847
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Pages/Publication Date
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514/2009
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Daedalus Item Code
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12887
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This item is not available.
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Description
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In May 1787, in an atmosphere of crisis, delegates met in Philadelphia to design a radically new form of government. Revolutionary-era historian Richard Beeman (whose biography of Patrick Henry was a finalist for the National Book Award) captures the dynamic of the debate and the characters of the men who labored that historic summer. Virtually all of the issues in dispute—the extent of presidential power, the nature of federalism, and, most explosive of all, the role of slavery—have continued to provoke conflict throughout our nation's history. The book takes readers behind the scenes to show how the world's most enduring constitution was forged through conflict, compromise, and fragile consensus. As Gouverneur Morris, delegate of Pennsylvania, noted: "While some have boasted it 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." "A day-by-day account of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 in Philadelphia.... As the convention's hot summer weeks rolled on, tensions built, agreements were reached and compromises (especially, alas, about slavery) were made. Beeman gives each decision, each vote, the weight it deserves and, in brief sketches, brings the delegates alive.... This account is now the most authoritative, up-to-date treatment of the Constitutional Convention since Catherine Drinker Bowen's Miracle at Philadelphia over 40 years ago. It's unlikely to be surpassed."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
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