内容简介
In this Library of America volume (and its companion) iscaptured, on a scale unmatched by any previous collection, theextraordinary energy and eloquence of our first national politicalcampaign. Assembled here in chronological order are hundreds ofnewspaper articles, pamphlets, speeches, and private letterswritten or delivered in the aftermath of the ConstitutionalConvention. Along with familiar figures like Franklin, Madison,Patrick Henry, Jefferson, and Washington, scores of less famouscitizens are represented, all speaking clearly and passionatelyabout government. The most famous writings of the ratificationstruggle - the Federalist essays of Hamilton and Madison - areplaced in their original context, alongside the arguments of ableantagonists, such as "Brutus" and the "Federal Farmer." Part Oneincludes press polemics and private commentaries from September1787to January 1788. That autumn, powerful arguments were made againstthe new charter by Virginian George Mason and thestill-unidentified "Federal Farmer," while in New York newspapers,the Federalist essays initiated a brilliant defense. Dozens ofspeeches from the state ratifying conventions show how the "draftof a plan, nothing but a dead letter," in Madison's words, had"life and validity...breathed into it by the voice of the people."Included are the conventions in Pennsylvania, where James Wilsonconfronted the democratic skepticism of those representing thewestern frontier, and in Massachusetts, where John Hancock andSamuel Adams forged a crucial compromise that saved the countryfrom years of political convulsion. Informative notes, biographicalprofiles of all writers, speakers, and recipients, and a detailedchronology of relevant events from 1774 to 1804 provide fascinatingbackground. A general index allows readers to follow specifictopics, and an appendix includes the Declaration of Independence,the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution (with allamendments).