The Scene. Origins of the Convention. Summary and Analysis

Miracle at Phildelphia is Catherine Drinker Bowen's narrative account of the Constitutional Convention that is held in 1787, during which delegates from 12 of the 13 newly independent American states hammer out what will become the United States Constitution, which is still in effect today. Bowen works from the diaries and notes of delegates, including James Madison, and includes contemporary newspaper accounts to paint a human portrait of the Convention, complete with the tensions and dissensions between states that threaten to tear apart the Convention and perhaps even the young country.

Bowen begins by setting the scene and giving an overview of the convention and its more famous members. The summer of 1787 is hot and humid as 55 delegates of 12 of the 13 new United States, from every state except Rhode Island, meet in Philadelphia in...