Plain, Honest Men

Plain, Honest Men: The Making of the American Constitution (2009), a work of North American political nonfiction by Richard Roy Beeman, describes the events surrounding the creation of the American Constitution, and the men who brought it to pass. The book won the 2010 George Washington Book Prize, and it has been generally well received. Beeman was an American historian and biographer specializing in the period around the American Revolution. He served as the John Walsh Centennial Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, and he published numerous nonfiction books.

Plain, Honest Men takes place in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787. During this four-month period, wealthy, powerful men met in the Pennsylvania State House with one specific purpose—bringing the United States of America together after a long conflict. The process was anything but simple, and the outcome was uncertain.

Beeman explains that one of the most controversial issues affecting post-war America was the institution of slavery. It was not possible, Beeman notes, to have slaves in a peaceful and free society. This opinion was held by many of the representatives present at the Pennsylvania State House, however, it was not the opinion of the majority. Plain, Honest Men highlights the impossibility of eradicating slavery and maintaining the newly-created union. The Constitution is, Beeman believes, the best result that so many warring factions could secure at the time.



Beeman looks at the fifty-five men who worked together during the summer of 1787, and the conflicting ideologies they brought to the negotiating table. Although he covers the formal meetings and debates in some detail, Beeman is more interested in examining the less formal negotiations taking place in the local area, such as in taverns and inns. Uneasy alliances were made and broken in private, not in the public arena of the State House.

At the heart of the Constitution’s formation is the idea that politics and intellect can coexist. These men, Beeman explains, were political activists. However, they also believed themselves to be intellectual leaders. They all wanted to create a government that works in practice, not just on paper. Forming a cohesive government to bring these divided colonies together would take imagination, passion, reason, and hard work.

In Plain, Honest Men, Beeman highlights the obstacles faced by the Founding Fathers. For example, although a centralized government would work in theory, it was impractical at the time. Communication was slow and laborious, and messages were easily lost in translation. It was hard for those living in far-flung corners of the U.S. at the time to feel part of a unified nation. This, as Beeman explains, was simply one of the challenges facing the people of this new America.



Central to the American Constitution were the concepts of democracy, executive power, and federalism. Beeman reminds us that most of the Founding Fathers were republicans, not democrats, and they rejected the idea of ultimate, monarchical power or single president. They wanted a representational government, but it was not clear how they were supposed to achieve their aim. A few elected members of government couldn’t possibly represent the public good, some argued, while others argued it was the only way to please a majority.

Beeman highlights the irony of slavery existing in this revolutionary new nation founded on equality. The reality, Beeman argues, is that the Founding Fathers were dissatisfied with the outcome of the discussion, but no one knew how to abolish slavery while protecting the union. There is a sense that some of the Founding Fathers simply hoped that it was a problem that would resolve itself, however unlikely that would be.

Forming the Constitution was never about achieving perfection, Beeman reminds us. It was about creating a starting point for a new nation. The political agenda behind the Constitution was unchartered territory for the Founding Fathers, and no one knew how America would progress. There would be failures, arguments over interpretations of the Constitution, and amendments to be made.



Beeman observes that Americans began fighting over the Constitution almost immediately. There was no rulebook for interpreting each article; these arguments persist to this day. The Constitution, Beeman argues, is an evolving document of governance and debates should be encouraged. However, Americans must remember the purpose behind the Constitution—unity in a fragmented world. So long as Americans interpret the Constitution with the values of equality and unity in mind, they are moving in the right direction.

Plain, Honest Men is a product of Beeman’s patriotism, as he explains in the introduction. He believes that the American Constitution is one of the most enduring forms of written governance. It is resilient, flexible, and successful; other nations can learn from it. Above all, Beeman says, the Founding Fathers put the needs of the new America above their own conflicting ideologies, and this is what we must all bear in mind when we criticize and amend the American Constitution.