What do you think?
Rate this book
The Constitution
An eminent historian examines the origins, growth, and meaning of the Constitution of the United States and its function in the nation's life and in the national consciousness
- GenresHistory
564 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1980
1 person is currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
Page Smith
84 books12 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
Charles Page Smith, who was known by his middle name, was a U.S. historian, professor, author, and newspaper columnist.
A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Smith graduated with a B.A. degree from Dartmouth College in 1940. He then worked at Camp William James, a center for youth leadership training opened in 1940 by Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy, a Dartmouth College professor, as part of the Civilian Conservation Corps. Smith was awarded a Purple Heart for his service as a company commander of the 10th Mountain Division of the United States Army during World War II. (wikipedia)
Charles Page Smith, who was known by his middle name, was a U.S. historian, professor, author, and newspaper columnist.
A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Smith graduated with a B.A. degree from Dartmouth College in 1940. He then worked at Camp William James, a center for youth leadership training opened in 1940 by Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy, a Dartmouth College professor, as part of the Civilian Conservation Corps. Smith was awarded a Purple Heart for his service as a company commander of the 10th Mountain Division of the United States Army during World War II. (wikipedia)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Read
June 21, 2025Elbridge Gerry certainly had a wild imagination.
July 10, 2009
This book's strength is that it is written by a non-lawyer, which means that it is written in layman's terms. Essentially, it's a collection of texts that Smith thought were historically significant to the creation and later interpretation of the constitution and constitutional tradition. Naturally, it focuses heavily on the creation and only hits the highlights of later constitutional decisions. Be prepared for a heavy dose of the Federalist papers.
Smith portrays the story of the constitution as a clash of two forces: the notion that man is naturally evil and that government therefore needs to be restrained---for example, by checks and balances---represented by the Washington, Adams, and the Federalists, and the notion that man is naturally good and government needs to be liberated from the strictures in that frustrate the popular will---which is inherently good---represented by Jefferson, Jackson, and the Democrats (the Jeffersonian Democrats, that is, not the modern Democratic party). The conclusion he reaches is that as a result of our history, including the civil war, America as a whole thinks like a Democrat, but acts like a Federalist. It's a notion of trust of humanity but distrust of human beings---especially wealthy and powerful human beings.
Of course, the treatment beyond the ratification is pretty shallow and a bit oversimplified, but it does give the general arc and thus provides a useful narrative to make sense of the nation's history.
Smith portrays the story of the constitution as a clash of two forces: the notion that man is naturally evil and that government therefore needs to be restrained---for example, by checks and balances---represented by the Washington, Adams, and the Federalists, and the notion that man is naturally good and government needs to be liberated from the strictures in that frustrate the popular will---which is inherently good---represented by Jefferson, Jackson, and the Democrats (the Jeffersonian Democrats, that is, not the modern Democratic party). The conclusion he reaches is that as a result of our history, including the civil war, America as a whole thinks like a Democrat, but acts like a Federalist. It's a notion of trust of humanity but distrust of human beings---especially wealthy and powerful human beings.
Of course, the treatment beyond the ratification is pretty shallow and a bit oversimplified, but it does give the general arc and thus provides a useful narrative to make sense of the nation's history.
November 14, 2015
That’s probably not the complete title, but I already gave the book back. This was the reading for a discussion group I was in during 2003 about the history of the U.S. Constitution. The discussion ended up revolving around the Iraqi War, which just began.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews