Miracle at Philadelphia by {author}: summary and why it matters

What it argues

Bowen reconstructs the four months in the summer of 1787 when delegates met in Philadelphia, in secrecy and in a hot room with closed windows, to replace the Articles of Confederation. She follows the debates from day to day, drawing on Madison's notes and on letters and diaries.

The story is a series of conflicts and bargains: large states against small over representation, which produced the Great Compromise; North against South over slavery and the counting of slaves, which produced the three-fifths clause and a ban on ending the slave trade before 1808; and the fears of strong executive power against the need for an effective national government. Bowen portrays the leading figures, Washington as presiding officer, Madison as architect, Franklin as conciliator, and gives space to critics such as Mason and Gerry who refused to sign.

She writes as a storyteller, and this is not a work of academic analysis.

Why it matters

The book gives readers a feel for the Constitution as a human achievement made by compromise, which supports a conservative respect for it. It is useful context for debates about original intent, since it shows what the framers argued about and what they left unresolved.

About the author

Catherine Drinker Bowen (1897-1973) was a Philadelphia-born biographer who wrote lives of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Francis Bacon and John Adams. She wrote the book for the general reader, with a feeling for scene and character, and it sold well and stayed in print. The title comes from a remark attributed to George Washington about the surprising result of the Convention.

Who should read it

General readers and students who want a vivid account of the Convention before turning to Madison's notes.