Constitutional Journal: Correspondent's Report from the Convention of 1787 [Paperback]

Jeffrey St. John (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 20, 2002

You are there, in 1787, at America's constitutional convention, with an "inside story" that reads like a modern-day confidential account of the secret proceedings in Philadelphia.Veteran print and broadcast reporter St. Jojn reports each day's proceedings, flavoring his dispatches with quotes drawn from the correspondence and notes of the delegates.He captures the frustration, conflict, hope and despair of America's Founders during the long, sweltering summer session as the political future of the United States hangs in the balance.Appearing daily in major newspapers and broadcast around the world during the bicentenntial summer of 1987 by the United States Information Agency, is a popular narrative history ideal for students and general readers of American history.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

The late Jeffrey St. John is the author of eight books, recipient of two Emmys for his work in television, and winner of the Benjamin Frankin award for American history writing. A former news commentator for the CBS-TV Morning News, NBC-TV Today, and CBS radio, he also was a commentator for tv stations in Washington, DC and a moderator and producer of public affairs programs for stations in New York and Washington.

From AudioFile

Jeff Riggenbach's mission is to narrate a "you-are-there" type of book. Author St. John assumes the role of a newspaper reporter writing articles about the Constitutional Convention during the summer of 1787. He fills in his stories with quotes from the framers' diaries and gives life to what, in reality, were secret proceedings. Riggenbach's voice is the perfect accompaniment to this book. He has a good sense of how to make history interesting, and his voice is easy to understand. His no-frills voice, steady, firm and unemotional, suits the text well. Riggenbach gives the delegates a forum to air their views, but his voice never intrudes on the weight of their words. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 324 pages
• Publisher: Jameson Books, Inc. (June 20, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0915463555
• ISBN-13: 978-0915463558
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,868,784 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 6 Stars If I Could, July 23, 2002

By 

Keith "SkydivingNerd" (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: CONSTITUTIONAL JOURNAL-OP (Hardcover)

I'm a nerd. 95% of my books are computer-related. This book will gave me an appreciation of what an extraordinary event the convention was. Several times it shows how it could have so easily fallen apart or gone off in a different direction (and Lord knows what kind of land this would be if it had). This book and another great book called 'Voices of 1776' will give you an awesome sense of how lucky we are to be what we are today. I cannot recommend this book more highly. (BTW, did you know that the only two signers of the Declaration of Independence who went on to become presidents, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, died within two hours of each other on July 4, 1826 - 50 years to the day the Declaration was signed?)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful read - as if you were there!, November 9, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: CONSTITUTIONAL JOURNAL-OP (Hardcover)

Fantastic series! Read all three.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We the people..., September 8, 2005

By 

FrKurt Messick "FrKurt Messick" (Bloomington, IN USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: CONSTITUTIONAL JOURNAL-OP (Hardcover)

Each year in September is a little known holiday known as Constitution Day - timed to be around the close of the Constitutional Convention in September 1787, this day is honoured at the college where I teach by speakers in a special forum, and the gift of pocket versions of the Constitution for all interested students.

However, the Constitution is heavily in the news, more than we often realise. When the election of 2000 was contested, the Constitution became primarily important; it is always in the background of Presidential elections, but this time it came to the forefront. In the current situation between Chief Justices (a relatively rare occurrence in American history), once again the Constitution is big news. We the people are interested, and we the people should be interested. However, we the people often have little concept of how this formative and foundational document came into being. Jeffrey St. John provides an answer to this situation, in very engaging and accessible style.

This is a journal, a day-by-day account, done in a sort of combination of journalistic and court-reporting styles. Of course, we have no direct journal of this sort, as the proceedings of the Constitutional Convention were strictly secret (not the kind of thing that would play out well in our media-saturated world - CSPAN and CNN among others would certainly expect to be there!). Indeed, those who went to the Constitutional Convention in May 1787 were charged with a reformation of the Articles of Confederation, not the drafting of a new Constitution. History had a surprise in store.

This is not the only area of interest. St. John's documentation shows the different influences into the formation of the Constitution - while it is common to look to classical times and contemporary European governments for influences and inspiration, in fact the most memorable words of the Constitution come from the constitution of the Iroquois League, drawn up in 1520, which began with the words 'We the people, in order to form a union...'.

The various federal structures, the separation of state and federal powers and responsibilities, the debates over how representation is carried out (and who gets represented; the issue of slavery was contentious from the start, and one can clearly see the seeds of the Civil War being planted even at the Constitutional Convention) - these are all portrayed with clarity and candour.

The Constitution was not a document that was intended to be from the outset, nor was it passed unanimously (indeed, not all states were represented at all times of the Convention, not all delegates appointed attended, and one state never participated at all). Some of the founding fathers, including Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, made references to divine intervention being key in the process; Franklin at the end made the warning about the government being a Republic, 'if you can keep it' - no doubt recalling the fall of other great republics in the history of the world.

This is a fun and exciting book to read, a real page turner. It was published in 1987 as part of the bicentennial celebrations of the Constitution; former Chief Justice Warren Burger provides a foreword for this text.

This is a great and inspiring story, one that should be of concern to Americans of all types and walks of life. We are all 'we the people'.