Research Catalog

Title

Creating the Constitution : the Convention of 1787 and the first Congress / Thornton Anderson.

Author

Anderson, Thornton, 1915-1997

Publication

University Park, Pa. : Pennsylvania State University Press, c1993.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Description

xv, 256 p.; 24 cm.

Summary

This book presents a different interpretation of the Convention and the First Congress, derived largely from a close reading of Farrand's 'Records' and the 'Annals of Congress.' Among its special features are a critical perspective on the Framers, an examination of Court Whig influence on the Federalists, the identification of a third group--the state Federalists--between the nationalists and states-righters, and a view of the First Congress as distorting the aims of the Convention.

Subject

• United States. Constitutional Convention (1787)
• United States. Congress 1789-1791)
• Constitutional Convention (United States : 1787)
• 1783-1809
• Federal government > United States > History
• Constitutional conventions > United States > History
• Constitutional history > United States
• United States > Politics and government > 1783-1809

Genre/Form

History

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references and index.

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Contents

• 1. Introduction. An Approach Through Ideas. A Convention to Regain Unity? A Secret Convention. Ratification and Implementation. A New and Unexpected Form of Federalism -- 2. Ideas from England. England's Ambivalent Medieval Heritage. England's Second Revolution. From Limited to Unlimited Power. The Country Opposition. English Ambivalence Imported -- 3. Political Motivations. The Problems as the Nationalists Saw Them. The Virginia Plan. The State Federalists. The Powers of Government. Restricting State Power. The General Result -- 4. Economic Motivations. The Role of Wealth in the Government. The Influence of Government on Wealth -- 5. An Anti-Democratic Convention? The House of Representatives. The Senate. The Executive. The Council of Revision and the Veto. Legislators' Eligibility for Executive Offices. The Judiciary. The Amending Article. The Mode of Ratification. Why an Anti-Democratic Bias? The General Result -- 6. The Convention Congress. Ratification. Amendments. The Nationalists in Control.
• The Ambiguity of the Senate. The Removal Power. Assumption of State Debts. The Bank. The Implications -- Appendix A State-Federalist Voting in the Philadelphia Convention -- Appendix B The First Senate -- Appendix C The First House.

ISBN

• 0271009136 (cloth : alk. paper) :
• 0271009209 (pbk.)

LCCN

^^^92031502^

OCLC

• 26503680
• SCSB-10093020

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library