Short Synopsis
Plain, Honest Men is a full-scale account of the deliberations of the Founding Fathers from the opening of the Constitutional Convention on May 25, 1787, to its concluding session on September 17. Following closely the chronology of the convention, the book takes listeners behind the scenes and beyond the debates to show how the world's most important constitution was forged through conflict, compromise, and eventually fragile consensus.

Full Synopsis
The Constitutional Convention affected nothing less than a revolution in the nature of the American government. Led by James Madison, a small cohort of delegates devised a plan that would radically alter the balance of power between state and national governments, and then sprung that idea on a largely unsuspecting convention. The success of this bold and brilliant strategy was, however, far from assured, and the ultimate outcome of the delegates' labors—the creation of a frame of government that would enable the fragile American union to flourish—turned out to be very different from that which Madison had originally envisioned. In fact, there was very little agreement among the framers about the nature of the government they had just created.

Audiences will come to appreciate the challenges that the Founding Fathers faced in creating a form of government that, while imperfect in many respects, nevertheless approaches, in the words of Benjamin Franklin, "so near to perfection as it does."

"[A] masterful account…. Unlikely to be surpassed." ---Publishers Weekly Starred Review

"Masterfully told American history for the scholar and general [listener] alike." ---Kirkus Starred Review

"A superb, comprehensive account." ---Library Journal Starred Review

"A scholarly yet lively account." ---The New York Times

New York Times Bestseller

Publishers Weekly Review

Kirkus Review

Library Journal Review