Average Americans Were the True Framers of the ConstitutionWoody Holton upends what we think we know of the Constitution's origins by telling the history of the average Americans who challenged the framers of the Constitution and forced on them the revisions that produced the document we now venerate. The framers who gathered in Philadelphia in 1787 were determined to reverse America's post–Revolutionary War slide into democracy. They believed too many middling Americans exercised too much influence over state and national policies. That the framers were only partially successful in curtailing citizen rights is due to the reaction; sometimes violent; of unruly average Americans. If not to protect civil liberties and the freedom of the people; what motivated the framers? In Unruly Americans and the Origins of the Constitution; Holton provides the startling discovery that the primary purpose of the Constitution was; simply put; to make America more attractive to investment. And the linchpin to that endeavor was taking power away from the states and ultimately away from the people. In an eye-opening interpretation of the Constitution; Holton captures how the same class of Americans that produced Shays's Rebellion in Massachusetts (and rebellions in damn near every other state) produced the Constitution we now revere.Unruly Americans and the Origins of the Constitution is a 2007 National Book Award Finalist for Nonfiction.
#201679 in Books The University of North Carolina Press 2009-08-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.10 x 1.00 x 6.10l; 1.20 #File Name: 0807861790376 pages
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. A great read; but it makes its point earlyBy Shaken; not stirredI can only assume the negative review accompanying mine is due to the mild redundancy that one faces with most historical narratives. One has to accept; when picking up a book like this one; that in order to represent a historical argument it is the responsibility of the author to give multiple examples on each point; otherwise it would be like a scientist only testing a hypothesis once or twice. When reading a book like this one; reading his major points and then skimming the examples he gives will give you more benefit than trying to read it cover to cover; word for word. Later; if you need to cite the examples he uses in your own studies; Kaye has provided ample material.Ultimately this is a good book; especially for cultural geography of the American South in terms of understanding that slave-planter relations were not as cut and dry as popular media would have one believe. Also; many of the social practices put into play in Louisiana and Mississippi during the antebellum period were still alive in primarily black neighborhoods as late as the civil rights era and a few can be found going strong today. That is a significant point. Does this author reinforce one or two valid points a little too exhaustively? Possibly; but overall I found this book to be a good read (As long as you're not expecting a page turner!)1 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy ARNALDO AKIRA KANESIROok4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Subtle argument; deftly madeBy J. SchermerhornThe author delved deeply into relevant historical records concerning enslaved people and found something new that should be common sense: instead of a community of people bounded by the shared condition of being enslaved; black Mississippians in slavery formed neighborhoods. They did all those things that make us human; like courting; worshiping; visiting; and trying to cut as good a deal with those in charge as they could. They treated strangers like strangers and protected their own. Of course; there was a thick overlay of violence and exploitation; but Kaye structures the book on the intentions and actions of African-descended people as people rather than as slaves. This is an academic book with a fresh approach to the subject that humanizes them.
