Writing and ratification of the U.S. Constitution

Author John R. Vile (political science, Middle Tennessee University, US) is an experienced teacher of constitutional law and the author of several books on the US Constitution. In this book, he demystifies the Constitution by taking readers step by step through the events in which the document was written and ratified. The book makes extensive use of primary source quotes, and contains a detailed index as well as a section of important primary documents (the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the text of the Constitution). It begins with a large-scale timeline starting with the Magna Carta which helps situate the Constitution in a historical context, and a daily timeline of events from May 3d to September 17th, 1787. The book will be useful to adult readers who want to understand the Constitution, and for experienced readers on early US history seeking to know more. Vile's knowledge is extensive, and his choice to cover the Constitutional Convention as a historian/journalist avoids contemporary partisian politics while giving readers insight into core issues behind the framing of the document. Though the book is mainly concerned with recounting the details of events as they happen, the author is guided by the belief that the major framers held an Aristotelian view of the process; they valued phronesis, practical wisdom, and arete, virtue defined as choosing a middle road between the available extremes. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).