Fifty-Five Fathers: The Story of the Constitutional Convention

by Selma R. Williams

Retells the story of the Philadelphia convention in 1787 drawing on the original notes of James Madison and on the diary of William Pierce.

Genres: History, School, Nonfiction, American History

179 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1970

Reviews

[William Bahr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful blow-by-blow account of how the founding fathers hammered out the Constitution of the United States. I found it interesting to learn the dynamics of the Virginia Plan (two house legislature with each house represented according to population; three branches of government), the New Jersey Plan (one house legislature, each state getting one vote, not according to population), and the Connecticut Compromise (two house legislature: House members according to state populations; Senate members same number for each state). Also interesting to learn about were the various committees (Committee: of Detail; of the Whole; on Committee Postponed Matters; and on Style) as well as some of the humor that was used to ease tensions throughout the hot four months the convention was in session. (Note: Separate from the book, I found it intriguing that the number of delegates was 55 (a double five), with five a magical number for the Masonic fraternity, of which many delegates were members.)

For what it’s worth, I did find a couple errors. On page 10, the author mentions Washington’s wooden teeth. This comment is repeated later in the book. Actually, Washington’s teeth were made of various materials (animal and human teeth, ivory, etc) which were stained brown from his favorite and frequent drink, Madeira wine, perhaps making it look like he had wooden teeth. Another error is the illustration on page 105, presumably of Convention attendees, but which included Jefferson, who was not at the Constitutional Convention. Hopefully, this error was corrected in the book’s later edition.

For some insight on how the book came about, here is some information from the book’s cover: “When she was teaching, Mrs. Williams felt that her students should learn about the drama of the Constitutional Convention. So she wrote a play based on the Convention, with a part for every class member. “Fifty-five Fathers,” her first book is an outgrowth of that play. In it, Mrs. Williams presents dramatically the debates and compromises that were an essential part of the creation of the document that still functions as the ‘Supreme Law of the Land.’” The Author’s Preface mentions that Ms. Williams drew upon Madison’s notes of everything spoken in debate. As well, her descriptions of members came from the diary of delegate William Pierce.

Bottom line from a fellow author, an easy read and a fascinating book about the characters of men who wrote the “Law of Laws” for our beloved country!

[Elizabeth Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Now, this volume isn't any kind of fast-paced, historical fiction book. Rather, it's minutia associated with the drafting and writing of the U.S. Constitution. Reading about the ideas, worries, and perceptions of the men who helped write this famous document was absolutely fascinating. This book was written for a middle-school/teenage demographic, but it isn't overly simplistic at all.

[Elaine Curry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was chock full of interesting tidbits and quotes from the Constitutional Convention. I enjoyed it, but it was pretty intensive for my 12 year old. Since I read it to her, we spent more time discussing what it meant than actually reading the book. The book needs some editing, but other than that, it holds a lot of historical value in my mind. Glad I read it, will probably refer to it again.

[Tianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book! I recommend it for American History Studies.

[Linnea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really great book to teach you about the constitution. It really helps solidify the concepts in your head. My only complaint is that they argue the whole time which is a little aggravating, but that’s what really happened so what can you do...

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although it is listed as a book for teens, I feel Fifty-Five Fathers is really an adult read. The formation of the Constitution, its details & the pace of the work, I feel is more interesting to adults than children. I would not have appreciated this book as a teenager.

[Cassondra · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Considering the content, I give it 4 stars. The KoL kids found it a bit dry. I loved it. Wouldn't read it for fun but a great read for getting a good, somewhat simplified view of the constitutional convention. I loved the humanity shown. Plenty of parts were entertaining.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a lot of information on the writing of our constitution. I had to keep things in order on a piece of paper and now it's a great review sheet.
It definitely reads more like a text book.

[Jessica Bustillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book for children to read so they can see the discussions of our founding fathers as they created the Constitution.

[Breanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though written for a middle school demographic, the prose is well written and engaging. The author does well at identifying the personalities of the signers of the constitution as well as laying down unbiased reason for the stances they held. This is not written with Christian undertones though the magnitude of the work these great men did, is evident and one cannot help but be awed and grateful for the hand of providence, leading to one of the greatest documents in the world. This reads very quickly and should be required reading of every American reluctant to read the constitution. It pairs wonderfully with the DVD, A MORE PERFECT UNION.

[Elle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for a class I took. Even though I thought it took quite a bit of effort to get a copy of it because it's out of print, it gave an excellent overview of the Constitutional Convention. The video A More Perfect Union is a lot like it, which makes me think it was based on this book. It dragged on a bit because it included every detail and was on an easy reading level. However, the list in the back of all 55 delegates with brief sketches of their lives and their views at the Convention is invaluable, and a good reason to buy the book used.

[Marianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story Fifty-Five Fathers had a lot in it! It tells the account of what happened during all or most of the Constitutional Convention. It had a lot of details and as I read on I think it got more interesting. It taught me a lot and I didn't realize how much stuff such as voting, and discussing they had to do. This is a good book to read if you want to learn more about the Constitutional Convention.

[Holli · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great read to get a feel for the events and activity of the Constitutional Convention. A lot of compromise and work to make this incredible document.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a concise, good way to learn story of the writing of the Constitution. It's details make it more complete but a bit dull. It is hard to keep track of what all 55 said and did as you read through it. I did get a sense of what a miracle it was that they were able to work together and set up a functioning republic.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having the entire Constitutional Convention in novel format was so fascinating! It was definitely an interesting and fun way to learn history, and certainly informative. I would recommend it to anyone, especially teenagers or even older children, who wanted to learn what the Constitutional Convention was all about.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fiftyfive fathers is a wonderful history book. It tells about the Constitutional Convention and how the Constitution was made. It's a great story and has many historical figures such as: George Washington, James Maddison, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, and many more. If you don't know some of the people I listed well you better read this book! :)

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the best book that I've read for Key of Liberty, but it still wasn't amazing. It felt like watered down minutes with just a little bit of description. This would be alright, but the book skipped over too much.

Real rating 2.4

[Ethan Moser · Rating 3 out of 5]

it is a good book of the Constitutional Convention

[Sheila · Rating 2 out of 5]

An account of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, detailing who attended, who said what, how the Constitution was created, and the complete Constitution, Bill of Rights, and all ammendments.

[Liza Verdon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying this book. It talks about the discussions of the founding fathers over a certain problem they were having in the US.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked how it all worked with the debates. It really made all the hard work put unto our constitution. It made the constitution more understandable too.

[Nickie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A small yet insightful vision of the 1787 Philadelphia Constitutional Convention and the men that were involved, the men that left, and the men that walked out near the end because of pride.

[MayeRee Emmrald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really Good. Well written.

[Karina Palmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated its simplicity.

[Isabelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't understand this book very much. they changed the subject a little too often. :(

[Deanna Sutter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Important to read but not super exciting.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this book for a Constitution class with 12-14 year-olds. We all learned so much about the Constitutional Convention and the men who were part of it!

[Kaileen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was another of those BORING ones but I read the whole thing and did learn somethings. :)

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for helping teens learn about the construction of the Constitution.