The Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution, Volume 4: Ratification of the Constitution by the States: Massachusetts, No. 1

The Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution, Volume 4: Ratification of the Constitution by the States: Massachusetts, No. 1

John P. Kaminski (Editor), Gaspare J. Saladino (Editor), Richard Leffler (Editor), Charles H. Schoenleber (Editor)
$118.75
Publication Date: January 15th, 1997
Publisher:
Wisconsin Historical Society Press
ISBN:
9780870202926
Pages:
560

Description

In 1787, an effort to revise the Articles of Confederation turned into a constitutional convention that dramatically altered the way that the young United States of America would be governed. On October 25, 1787, Massachusetts called a convention to debate the new constitution, and five months later on February 6, 1788 the Massachusetts convention adopted the Constitution. Four volumes of The Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution are devoted to the public and private debate surrounding ratification of this state which played a key role in the acceptance of the Constitution. These four volumes encompass over 1,800 pages of legislative and executive records, personal accounts by convention participants and observers, newspaper extracts, pamphlets and broadsides, as well as convention sources housed in the Massachusetts State Archives. The Massachusetts volumes chart the dialogue beginning in early September, 1787 before the Constitution was signed by the delegates in Philadelphia, and continue to cover the aftermath of ratification in Massachusetts.

About the Author

John P. Kaminski, Gaspare J. Saladino, and Richard Leffler have been editing The Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution series since 1970.  Charles H. Schoenleber joined the staff in 1987.

Praise for The Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution, Volume 4: Ratification of the Constitution by the States: Massachusetts, No. 1

"The most important editorial project in the nation." (Leonard W. Levy, constitutional historian)

“Such documents give us a glimpse of America in 1787–88, of its people in their homes, taverns, and streets, their convictions, rituals, and customs. The DHRC captures that moment in all its complexity and powerfully demonstrates how the great documentary editions being published today can, by extending our command of the historical record, transform our knowledge and understanding of the past. It might well be, as the historian Leonard Levy once said, the most important documentary record being published today. Certainly it is the only one dedicated to uncovering the democratic component of the American founding. It is also a monumental scholarly achievement and a gift to all Americans, now and in the future, who want to know how our nation came into being.” (Pauline Maier, historian and author of Ratification: The People Debate the Constitution, 1787-1788)

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