Signing Their Rights Away

June 6, 2011
Kiernan and D'Agnese (coauthors of Signing Their Lives Away) return with an identical format for this companion volume. Opening with a brief historical background, they trace events before the creation of the U.S. Constitution, when the fledging United States was on the verge of political collapse due to the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. Amid fears of a civil war, distrustful delegates gathered in Philadelphia in 1787 to expand the Articles of Confederation, but in such a "contentious environment," many quit. The 39 who stayed are featured in minibiographies that do not always flatter them. Thomas Mifflin was a drunkard, Robert Morris "the signer who went to debtor's prison," while other signers, more gloriously, "overcame religious discrimination" or, mundanely, "lived the longest." At the end of lengthy heated debates, Benjamin Franklin urged everyone to set aside his dissatisfactions with the final document and "make manifest our unanimity" by signing it. All 39 delegates did so. This is a lightweight introduction to a crucial moment in American history that might appeal more to younger readers.

November 1, 2011

Gr 6 Up-The Constitution is glorified, misquoted, and occasionally vilified, but few people doubt the impact of this oldest of functioning constitutions. This compact book presents short biographical sketches of the 39 signers in clear, accessible language. Organized by state, entries initially identify each man with his signature, a pen-and-ink portrait, his name, and a snappy descriptive phrase (e.g., "The Signer Who Lived the Longest," "The Signer Who Was Ruined by Drink"), along with birth and death dates, age at signing, profession, and burial site. At a uniform four pages each, the entries cover each subject's life prior to the Constitutional Convention, how he came to be present, contribution to the Constitution, and major events of later life. Opening with an informative introduction, comparison chart of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, and a time line, the volume closes with the text of the Constitution and a "Miscellany" that includes information on preservation and printing and a list of convention attendees who did not sign. More detailed and for a slightly older audience than Dennis Fradin's The Founders: The 39 Stories Behind the U. S. Constitution (Walker, 2005), this entertainingly written book may take a bit of promotion due to the subject matter and dull cover.-Ann Welton, Helen B. Stafford Elementary, Tacoma, WA -

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2011
Following Signing Their Lives Away (2009), which focuses on the signers of the Declaration of Independence, this book offers capsule biographies of the 39 men whose signatures appear on the U.S. Constitution: Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, James McHenry, and lesser-knowns including Gunning Bedford, Jr., whose life is filled with mysterious gaps and whose skepticismor perhaps paranoiasteered the Constitutional Convention toward a more fair representation for the states, and William Blount, who played a key role in North Carolina's ratification of the Constitution despite being a rather accomplished con artist and thief (and who, as governor of Tennessee and surrounding areas, was the first person ever impeached in the United States). Sure, you can find out most of this stuff on the Internet, or by trawling through a stack of history texts, but it's extremely convenient to have it all between two covers. The book also contains the complete text of the Constitution and various other historical add-ons. For readers of American history, this is both educational and entertaining.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)