Richard Beeman (1942–2016)

Another excellent book by Richard Beeman. "Plain, Honest Men" is a blow-by-blow account of the development of the US Constitution during the summer of 1787. This is a wonderfully written narrative that proves how difficult it was for our Founders to create our government. But while Beeman honors the men who created the Constitution, he pulls no punches on those who fought to keep slavery a viable practice. However, he also recognizes and emphasizes the context of the times. This doesn't show more absolve these men, but it does explain why they justified such an immoral and hypocritical system. show less

EXCELLENT!

After having spent the last several years reading about the American Revolution, the Declaration, the Constitution, and many of the main players, I've discovered that the contents of this book are most appealing to me. Reading about battles is fine, but my ignorance in geography—especially that of the NE—hinders my enjoyment. But books about why we split from England, and the arduous journey to finally get to the point of actually declaring our independence, is fascinating. And show more Richard Beeman's "Our Lives, Our Fortunes and Our Sacred Honor" is the best example of this I've read so far. Focusing specifically on the First and Second Continental Congresses, "Our Lives" gives a detailed, almost day-by-day account of where each colony's delegates stood when it came to the questions of reconciliation and independence.

Beeman's breezy style is welcome! So many of these books are far too academic for me, but Beeman's style is often quite funny and wry without losing a whit of credibility.

Highly, highly recommended! show less

The Constitution founds the American experiment. As last week’s inauguration attests, we live out, to this day, its theory of government. Watching the proceedings, I realized I was overdue to revisit the Constitution. This handy volume, bringing together the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Amendments, accompanied by Richard Beeman’s informative, if opinionated commentary, served me well. The founders’ foresight is astounding, as is their vision of human show more flourishing. After an era marked by the smugness of hindsight, we would do well to reread, with humility, this founding testament of our history. show less

Plain, Honest Men is an excellent history of the Constitutional Convention which wrote the U.S. Constitution in 1787. I have always been a fan of the Founding Fathers, but after reading this book I admire them even more, and admire a broader set of men than simply Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, and Washington..

Consider what these men had to contend with. The Confederation Congress directed them to make improvements to the Articles of Confederation, not create a whole new government. It was show more James Madison, more than any other, who provided the energy for such an effort and who wrote much of the document.

The convention was called because the Articles of Confederation were simply not strong enough a foundation for the young United States. State power was superior to federal, international commerce was not working well, nor was taxation. Shay's Rebellion in Massachusetts raised fears that national defense was inadequate.

The task was daunting. No republican government of this size had existed before. England was a constitutional monarchy, and its Parliament provided something of a model, but it was still a monarchy. Many of those in the United States knew the Confederation was not working well, but they were very afraid that too much executive power would lead to tyranny.

Madison, James Wilson, and Governeur Morris each extensively studied previous governments and their studies helped inform the deliberations of the Constitutional Convention. Besides the real problem of creating a balance between national and state governments, the writers of the Constitution had to deal with how to create a government with separation of powers and checks and balances so that no one branch was too powerful. They also had to balance the interests of the large states and the small states, and the slave states vs. the free states. All of these could have been deal breakers. The author's discussion of the slavery issue adds to my belief that ending slavery was simply not possible, at least that it would have destroyed the young country.

Beeman believes that the secrecy in which the deliberations were conducted was essential to the success of the Convention, that it allowed free debate and the ability to keep trying out different solutions. Unfortunately it also means we don't have as full an account of the Convention as one would wish.

The Constitution that resulted was not perfect, but that it came into being at all was a miracle. Beeman gives a readable account of the issues and personalities involved. It was interesting to find out about some of the people who aren't as well known. Madison, George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin were essential to the effort, but many others such as Robert and Governeur Morris, James Wilson, John Dickinson, and John Rutledge all added greatly. The entire Connecticut delegation, led by Roger Sherman, provided essential compromises.

A wonderful history that makes me more than ever grateful to live in the United States. show less