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Title: Classic Text
Review: Charles Beard caused a minor scandal when this book was published in 1913. He argued that the Founding Fathers had foisted the Constitution on the country in order to protect their property interests in land and public securities. This was strong medicine 90 years ago when the public still thought of the Founders as demigods rather than conspiratorial politicians.Despite its age, the book reads well and is refreshingly iconoclastic. Since rightwing politicians and jurists still talk as if the Constitution had a divine origin, Beard's message hasn't lost its relevance. However, there's no denying that his book is a one-sided lawyer's brief, which selects and presents only the evidence that supports its thesis while ignoring everything else. No one who has read The Federalist would even recognize Beard's description of it.Modern readers who want a balanced and comprehensive history of the origins of the Constitution should look to books by Forrest MacDonald or other historians.
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