Young Patriots: For Constitutional Convention Fanatics

Constitutional Convention freaks, of which I am a proud member – you’ll definitely want to check out Young Patriots: The Remarkable Story of Two Men, Their Impossible Plan and the Revolution That Created the Constitution – by Charles Carami. It focuses on the convergence of James Madison and Alexander Hamilton in 1787 – I’m not done with it yet – but I just wanted to say: It’s a very good book. I’m quite partial to Miracle At Philadelphia: The Story of the Constitutional Convention May – September 1787 – which is the go-to place for so many books that came after about that particular convention. You feel like you are THERE with that book. This Young Patriots book also makes you feel like you are there – but more importantly – it hones in on two specific people – their separate journeys, concerns, issues, arguments – through this one particular year. Can’t think of two people more different in character and temperament than James Madison and Alexander Hamilton. But we would not be as strong a nation in form and structure if only one of them had taken the lead. We needed both. They tempered one another, or pushed one another further, balanced each other out. Madison, though, is the mastermind. (In my opinion). Hamilton was the one who obviously helped it get ratified in New York, which was a crucial battle … but it seems to me that Madison was truly the leader. However … when the two of them joined forces it was pretty much unbeatable (although nobody knew this at the time, all the battles over the constitution and ratification were quite real, and prolonged – none of this was a ‘done deal’). All of this is very familiar ground for me – but I really like the writing in this book, and some of the anecdotes. I’ll post more when I’m done with the whole thing.