Friday, August 4, 2017

Constitutional Convention of 1787

John R. Vile, Middle Tennessee State University, published the revised 2nd edition of the 2-volume reference work, The Constitutional Convention of 1787 with Talbot Publishing in 2016. From the press:
Now with nearly 400 new and updated entries and over 120 illustrations and maps, this revised and expanded edition of this impressive encyclopedia shows in detail the lively, contentious, four-month process that produced the United States Constitution. With fascinating detailed portraits of the Framers, we are taken behind the scenes into the fiery debates between powerful personalities and the hard-fought battles and compromises that resulted in one of the most important documents in history. Drawing on original sources and a wealth of secondary works and recent scholarship, updated entries and dozens of illuminating side boxes present a comprehensive treatment of all aspects of the Constitutional Convention. Features include: - Two chronologies: day-to-day events at the Convention and important dates leading up to it - Detailed individual profiles of the delegates and excerpts from accounts of their debates - Information that brings the events of the Convention to life such as the delegates' salaries, housing, daily schedule, how appointed, their backgrounds, their personal and legislative motivations, the mechanism of how the Convention and its committees worked - How the creation of states, their legislations, plans and constitutions all contributed to the final document - Analysis of Convention discussion of dominant historical and philosophical influences and themes and how and why they were included in the Constitution - A thorough appendix containing original documents and text of important speeches. - Suggested readings for each entry, cross-references, a topical table of contents, an up-to-date and thorough bibliography, index. These two volumes provide a complete guide to a pivotal moment in the formation of the United States -- the Constitutional Convention -- that created one of the most important documents in history, the United States Constitution.

Further information is available here.