Ratification

The People Debate the Constitution, 1787-1788

By: Pauline Maier

Narrated by: Johnny Heller

When the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia adjourned late in the summer of 1787, the delegates returned to their states to report on the new Constitution, which had to be ratified by specially elected conventions in at least nine states. Pauline Maier recounts the dramatic events of the ensuing debate in homes, taverns, and convention halls, drawing generously on the speeches and letters of founding fathers, both familiar and forgotten, on all sides.

This is the first narrative history in decades of the ratification debate, with all its significance, and it draws on new scholarship about the ratification process. In Maier's skillful hands, this fascinating yet often overlooked episode in the nation's history comes to life as never before.

©2010 Pauline Maier (P)2010 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Ripostes from proponents, the Federalists, animate the great detail Maier provides, as does her recounting how one state convention’s verdict affected another’s. Displaying the grudging grassroots blessing the Constitution originally received, Maier eruditely yet accessibly revives a neglected but critical passage in American history." ( Booklist)

Interesting, but laborious

Seemed like the book was 50 hours long. The author goes into minutiae that’s common between the different states’ ratification conventions. I stopped listening with about 4 hours left.

Learned what I should have known

The level of detail, tracing records, and creating a sense of wonder on what will happen next within a historical fact on an outcome already decided. Wonderful!

Excellent!!

Probably one of the best books on early America. Must read for those interested in the roots of the American Constitution.

A must for true comprehension of the Constitution

Dense and detailed, but worth the time. You will understand so much more about the nature of the Founding than you would have imagined possible.

Interesting and enjoyable

This is a well-researched and fairly balanced account of the ratification of the US Constitution. It's just fascinating to hear about the passions, the corruption, and the different social and political groups that all played a role in ratification. It's fascinating to hear about the state-by-state differences in both federalists and "anti-federalists," with Massachusetts' Constitution skeptics being so very, very different from, say Pennsylvania's. It's well written, and nods to the ways historical context led to the different debates, and even the different forms of corruption. Really, it's just amazing.

The narrator is pretty good, though he did slip into a bizarre southern accent while portraying uneducated New Englanders.