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U.S. Landmark Books #5
Our Independence and the Constitution
Experiences of a family living in Philadelphia during the late 1700s help describe the events and conflicts that surrounded our nation's birth
147 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1950
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172 people want to read
About the author
Dorothy Canfield Fisher
203 books147 followersAlso wrote under the name Dorothy Canfield.
Dorothy Canfield Fisher (February 17, 1879 – November 9, 1958) was an educational reformer, social activist, and best-selling American author in the early decades of the twentieth century. She strongly supported women's rights, racial equality, and lifelong education. Eleanor Roosevelt named her one of the ten most influential women in the United States. In addition to bringing the Montessori method of child-rearing to the U.S., she presided over the country's first adult education program and shaped literary tastes by serving as a member of the Book of the Month Club selection committee from 1925 to 1951.
(from Wikipedia)
Dorothy Canfield Fisher (February 17, 1879 – November 9, 1958) was an educational reformer, social activist, and best-selling American author in the early decades of the twentieth century. She strongly supported women's rights, racial equality, and lifelong education. Eleanor Roosevelt named her one of the ten most influential women in the United States. In addition to bringing the Montessori method of child-rearing to the U.S., she presided over the country's first adult education program and shaped literary tastes by serving as a member of the Book of the Month Club selection committee from 1925 to 1951.
(from Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 23, 2020
About Landmark Books
"Each is a book that brings to life a great event or personality in our nation's past. Each is designed to be rich, rewarding reading, capable of stirring the heart as well as the mind. Each is intended to arouse in the reader not only an interest in the course of history, but also an understanding of how the democracy that is our heritage was forged."
-From one of the dust jackets
The Landmark Books for children are a great way to learn history! I can't say enough about these , and it's no wonder that they are highly sought after in the homeschool community. From what I’ve researched, I’ve found these books to be very historically accurate. It’s history told in nicely narrated story-form – a win!
Ages: 10+
Pages: approx. 175-200
Illustrations: some
Price Range: $4 – $125 depending on HC or PB, and the title and its rarity.
Cleanliness: "For goodness gracious sakes" and "Mercy!" are said. Mentions smoking a pipe.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! You’ll see my updates as I’m reading and know which books I’m liking and what I’m not finishing and why. You’ll also be able to utilize my library for looking up titles to see whether the book you’re thinking about reading next has any objectionable content or not. From swear words, to romance, to bad attitudes (in children’s books), I cover it all!
"Each is a book that brings to life a great event or personality in our nation's past. Each is designed to be rich, rewarding reading, capable of stirring the heart as well as the mind. Each is intended to arouse in the reader not only an interest in the course of history, but also an understanding of how the democracy that is our heritage was forged."
-From one of the dust jackets
The Landmark Books for children are a great way to learn history! I can't say enough about these , and it's no wonder that they are highly sought after in the homeschool community. From what I’ve researched, I’ve found these books to be very historically accurate. It’s history told in nicely narrated story-form – a win!
Ages: 10+
Pages: approx. 175-200
Illustrations: some
Price Range: $4 – $125 depending on HC or PB, and the title and its rarity.
Cleanliness: "For goodness gracious sakes" and "Mercy!" are said. Mentions smoking a pipe.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! You’ll see my updates as I’m reading and know which books I’m liking and what I’m not finishing and why. You’ll also be able to utilize my library for looking up titles to see whether the book you’re thinking about reading next has any objectionable content or not. From swear words, to romance, to bad attitudes (in children’s books), I cover it all!
February 24, 2023
I've been steadily working my way through this series, which every American school-aged child should read in its entirety before they graduate from high school. Many of the individual volumes are dated and certainly need some revision and updating in some cases, and many more volumes should be added, as much has happened over the last half-century - but these general introductions make the main features of our nation's history accessible to all and are well worth the read.
That said, this wasn't one of my favorites, perhaps because it focused a bit excessively on the story of a family who hosted a delegate to the Constitutional Convention rather than on the inner workings of the convention itself. As the book notes in its final pages, there was a multi-volume series produced in the mid-nineteenth century, "Debates of the Constitutional Convention in 1787," based on the handwritten notes and documents of James Madison and other delegates, which could have been used to highlight the primary debates and issues raised, perhaps in addition to the major players. An account of the discussions and disagreements over the establishment of the Houses of Congress, the Supreme Court, and the major institutions we have today, to me, would have been far more useful and insightful. The book notes that the goings-on were secret at the time, but it could have been written from the perspective of someone reminiscing about the events which led to the establishment of the world we live in today.
I would still highly recommend it as a part of the series, however, as it raises some important issues and will hopefully spark interest to further research and explore related matters more deeply, depending on individual personal interest. The book also includes the text of the Declaration of Independence, which itself offers a framework into the historical context of the period and a blueprint for additional discussion and debate.
So many people just don't realize just how radical this experiment was: the idea that a people could govern themselves via elected leaders, was a great departure from traditional political systems, but even more so was the framework the Founders set into place: many have no idea how the major features of our Republic came to be - for example, why are there two Houses and not just one; how did the Founders solve the problem of equal representation?
Equally impressive, perhaps to some even divinely-inspired, was the forethought put into the framing of the Constitution - the acknowledgement by the authors and signers even then that what they were agreeing to was an imperfect and unfinished vessel, one which would no doubt be altered and amended by future generations who would face problems that the original founders could not at that time foresee. The built-in mechanisms for correction, alteration, redirection and interpretation are largely what has kept this machine running for more than two centuries, and has been, above all else, been responsible for the resiliency of a system which, as the book noted, has functioned better than anything the Founders could have then envisioned. I think they would be astounded that this experimental system, which had no real historic precedent, has endured as long as it has, having faced the challenges which have threatened its very existence.
Just as impressive, to me, was the Founders' ability to compromise to get the job done, even to stipulations which were against their most deeply-held beliefs (i.e., the compromise on slavery - the South would agree to join the Union only upon the ability to continue to import massive numbers of enslaved persons from west Africa to perpetuate the plantation system - but ONLY for a limited time, 20 years, until most of that present generation died out) is enviable - but unfortunately didn't seem to be inherited by future generations, to our great detriment. How do you have a united country AND satisfy the human tendency toward "tribalism," which was such a dominant feature of the European world? The genius answer: acknowledge that this tendency exists, and will manifest in some way, and use it to your advantage, by having TWO elected bodies, one based on population, and one based on equal representation, itself a check and balance on "tyranny of the majority."
Many consider the signing of the Constitution - the notion that people who disagreed so vociferously over so much, themselves clinging to deeply-held beliefs they were loathe to compromise, could come together to agree on a comprehensive policy which would govern every aspect of their lives - to be the real "American miracle," perhaps even more so than the unfathomable victory over the British at the conclusion of the Revolutionary War.
----------------------------------------
The trouble with the old way of sticking together, which hadn't worked at all well, was that the agreement had been rushed through while the Americans were at war with England. They couldn't fight the war, each State by itself. So in a great hurry, just because they had to, they had made an agreement to work together. This agreement was called the Articles of Confederation.
If [the states] were separate countries, they would have differences of opinion, and every time this happened they would go to war with one another to get their own way. That was the way the European countries had always acted - fighting one another, century after century. And look what they had lost in money, deaths, poverty and misery! There must be some way of getting together that would work better than fighting one another. That's what the convention in 1787 in Philadelphia was to be for.
They had run into a very big problem. Some States were large and had lots of people in them. Other States were small. Suddenly everything came to a half. The delegates were hung up on a difference of opinion which couldn't ever - so far as they could see - be settled, because the problem would never change. There would always be large States and small ones. And people had grown so used to the idea of States that it seemed against nature to admit that some of them were less important than others. How could any government be devised which would be fair both to the small States, such as Delaware and New Jersey, and to the big States, such as Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
The important fact to remember is that the Founding Fathers knew that, in the Constitution they were writing, they would have to make sure that no group of officials, and no single person, could tun things too much his own way. That is why the whole system is based on the idea of check and balances. That is also the chief reason for having both a Senate and a House of Representatives. Each acts as a "check" to the other; each helps balance the power given by the country. What every American should always remember not the long list of facts about what was voted at the Constitutional Convention, but the basic principle of checks and balances that has made the government work.... The people's votes on Election Day are the final decisive "check."
That said, this wasn't one of my favorites, perhaps because it focused a bit excessively on the story of a family who hosted a delegate to the Constitutional Convention rather than on the inner workings of the convention itself. As the book notes in its final pages, there was a multi-volume series produced in the mid-nineteenth century, "Debates of the Constitutional Convention in 1787," based on the handwritten notes and documents of James Madison and other delegates, which could have been used to highlight the primary debates and issues raised, perhaps in addition to the major players. An account of the discussions and disagreements over the establishment of the Houses of Congress, the Supreme Court, and the major institutions we have today, to me, would have been far more useful and insightful. The book notes that the goings-on were secret at the time, but it could have been written from the perspective of someone reminiscing about the events which led to the establishment of the world we live in today.
I would still highly recommend it as a part of the series, however, as it raises some important issues and will hopefully spark interest to further research and explore related matters more deeply, depending on individual personal interest. The book also includes the text of the Declaration of Independence, which itself offers a framework into the historical context of the period and a blueprint for additional discussion and debate.
So many people just don't realize just how radical this experiment was: the idea that a people could govern themselves via elected leaders, was a great departure from traditional political systems, but even more so was the framework the Founders set into place: many have no idea how the major features of our Republic came to be - for example, why are there two Houses and not just one; how did the Founders solve the problem of equal representation?
Equally impressive, perhaps to some even divinely-inspired, was the forethought put into the framing of the Constitution - the acknowledgement by the authors and signers even then that what they were agreeing to was an imperfect and unfinished vessel, one which would no doubt be altered and amended by future generations who would face problems that the original founders could not at that time foresee. The built-in mechanisms for correction, alteration, redirection and interpretation are largely what has kept this machine running for more than two centuries, and has been, above all else, been responsible for the resiliency of a system which, as the book noted, has functioned better than anything the Founders could have then envisioned. I think they would be astounded that this experimental system, which had no real historic precedent, has endured as long as it has, having faced the challenges which have threatened its very existence.
Just as impressive, to me, was the Founders' ability to compromise to get the job done, even to stipulations which were against their most deeply-held beliefs (i.e., the compromise on slavery - the South would agree to join the Union only upon the ability to continue to import massive numbers of enslaved persons from west Africa to perpetuate the plantation system - but ONLY for a limited time, 20 years, until most of that present generation died out) is enviable - but unfortunately didn't seem to be inherited by future generations, to our great detriment. How do you have a united country AND satisfy the human tendency toward "tribalism," which was such a dominant feature of the European world? The genius answer: acknowledge that this tendency exists, and will manifest in some way, and use it to your advantage, by having TWO elected bodies, one based on population, and one based on equal representation, itself a check and balance on "tyranny of the majority."
Many consider the signing of the Constitution - the notion that people who disagreed so vociferously over so much, themselves clinging to deeply-held beliefs they were loathe to compromise, could come together to agree on a comprehensive policy which would govern every aspect of their lives - to be the real "American miracle," perhaps even more so than the unfathomable victory over the British at the conclusion of the Revolutionary War.
----------------------------------------
The trouble with the old way of sticking together, which hadn't worked at all well, was that the agreement had been rushed through while the Americans were at war with England. They couldn't fight the war, each State by itself. So in a great hurry, just because they had to, they had made an agreement to work together. This agreement was called the Articles of Confederation.
If [the states] were separate countries, they would have differences of opinion, and every time this happened they would go to war with one another to get their own way. That was the way the European countries had always acted - fighting one another, century after century. And look what they had lost in money, deaths, poverty and misery! There must be some way of getting together that would work better than fighting one another. That's what the convention in 1787 in Philadelphia was to be for.
They had run into a very big problem. Some States were large and had lots of people in them. Other States were small. Suddenly everything came to a half. The delegates were hung up on a difference of opinion which couldn't ever - so far as they could see - be settled, because the problem would never change. There would always be large States and small ones. And people had grown so used to the idea of States that it seemed against nature to admit that some of them were less important than others. How could any government be devised which would be fair both to the small States, such as Delaware and New Jersey, and to the big States, such as Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.
The important fact to remember is that the Founding Fathers knew that, in the Constitution they were writing, they would have to make sure that no group of officials, and no single person, could tun things too much his own way. That is why the whole system is based on the idea of check and balances. That is also the chief reason for having both a Senate and a House of Representatives. Each acts as a "check" to the other; each helps balance the power given by the country. What every American should always remember not the long list of facts about what was voted at the Constitutional Convention, but the basic principle of checks and balances that has made the government work.... The people's votes on Election Day are the final decisive "check."
April 12, 2021
Easy for kids to understand, but even adults knowledgeable on the founding of our great nation can learn from this great book. I highly recommend it. It’s in story format so it’s entertaining to read.
March 4, 2025
...interesting to think about. the history of this wee little history book: this book was written in 1950 by Dorothy Canfield Fisher (1879-1958) and 1978 copyright renewed. So the language and some nationality aspects might be thought a bit dated.
It is good to have a basic understanding of history, particularly that of the nation one calls 'home'. And that is where this humble little book excels. This edition gives a nod to the nation's 200th birthday, the Bicentennial, 1976. And then from there takes the reader back to the ultimate event, the Constitutional Convention, 1787.
For me, some of these congresses are a bit dull in our nation's history. But American history is required, and basic civic knowledge is essential. I think Ms Fisher was commendable to present it as seen through the eyes of a young girl, Debby. Truly this book is geared for a middle school student possessing a love of reading and imagination. Ideal for a homeschooled youth to read, ponder, discuss with a more knowledgeable elder. In fact there are a few 'picture this' moments through the work: Mom disagrees with dad and brothers, mom is reluctant (understandably!) to host a stranger/delegate. So reading this, a picture of the people, the attitudes and the times is drawn out. Especially because this remarkable event concurs in a child's own coming of age. Being able to envision the setting as Fisher has done makes the story come alive and stay alive.
It is good to have a basic understanding of history, particularly that of the nation one calls 'home'. And that is where this humble little book excels. This edition gives a nod to the nation's 200th birthday, the Bicentennial, 1976. And then from there takes the reader back to the ultimate event, the Constitutional Convention, 1787.
For me, some of these congresses are a bit dull in our nation's history. But American history is required, and basic civic knowledge is essential. I think Ms Fisher was commendable to present it as seen through the eyes of a young girl, Debby. Truly this book is geared for a middle school student possessing a love of reading and imagination. Ideal for a homeschooled youth to read, ponder, discuss with a more knowledgeable elder. In fact there are a few 'picture this' moments through the work: Mom disagrees with dad and brothers, mom is reluctant (understandably!) to host a stranger/delegate. So reading this, a picture of the people, the attitudes and the times is drawn out. Especially because this remarkable event concurs in a child's own coming of age. Being able to envision the setting as Fisher has done makes the story come alive and stay alive.
March 13, 2024
This is one of the Landmark books that I did not read as a child. But now that I have read it as part of my goal to read/collect the series, I realize that I missed a good book on United States history. The author uses the writing tool of telling the story of the continental congress leading up to the Declaration of Independence and then of the Constitutional convention writing the US Constitution through the eyes of a Philadelphia family including Debbie. Rather than a dry recitation of facts this allows the history to become a vivid story of these two important events in US history. I enjoyed learning that the revolution was primarily aimed at grievances against the King of England George III. Then thru the family hosting an unknown delegate, I learn the many obstacles the convention overcame to create the US constitution. I especially enjoyed the part where the delegate stated “we did our best” and the delegates knew that their work would be improved and changed by later generations of Americans.
September 5, 2023
2 on research, 2 on logic, 2 on style, 2 on weight, 1 on affections. This book was historical fiction in that it is told from the perspective of one family in downtown Philadelphia in 1776 and then 1787. However, the research and arguments for both sides were well-written and down-to-earth.
November 23, 2019
Full of ideas. Have the kids read this next time we cycle through this historical period.
December 16, 2023
Excellent introduction to the founding of our nation for young Americans. I highly recommend this as an introduction to the study of the Constitution.
June 3, 2025
Loved the way the author delivered the information. Excellent read aloud.
Recommend.
Recommend.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews