ePub Dark Bargain: Slavery; Profits; and the Struggle for the Constitution by Lawrence Goldstone in History

Review

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Thank you for the polite business. The book; ...By GrazchieThank you for the polite business. The book; is what we need to know now. We are equal all of humans.. I hope the government people should read this.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Enlightening!By Jim AltfeldI had no idea how much slavery impacted the creation of the Constitution and what the founding fathers battled through to produce the document that became the foundation for America. I also confess I never knew that rice; not tobacco; was the primary product produced in South Carolina at the time and why slaves were so necessary. Goldstone gets an A+ and a gold star for both having thoroughly done his homework and for explaining things as they happened while keeping opinion out of it. He allowed me to draw my own conclusions. What made this book exceptional is the background information he provided on each of the founding fathers he zeroed in on. Should you be looking for an unbiased; non-revisionist explanation of the challenges and difficulties these men faced in creating the Constitution; this is an excellent read. And if you are anything like me; I suggest you keep a paper and pencil handy; because you will find yourself taking a lot of notes and looking things up for yourself.8 of 8 people found the following review helpful. Slavery- Front and Center at the Constitutional ConventionBy George J. Heidemark"Regardless of how events played out; sectionalism and slavery are key to understanding the major debates and compromises in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787." This short quote sums up the basic thesis of Lawrence Goldstone in his fine volume entitled Dark Bargain- Slavery; Profits and the Struggle for the Constitution. This is the conclusion of most serious scholars currently working on the topic of the Constitutional Convention.Goldstone examines the central role slavery played in the Constitution with a focus on how the founders agreed on counting people for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives.In this context he deals with the infamous 3/5's compromise. He also deals with the importation of slaves as it pertained to the Constitution. In his study he mainly focuses on 4 founders and their positions on slavery before and during the construction of the Constitution.( Oliver Ellsworth; Roger Sherman;John Rutledge and George Mason) His final conclusion that slave owner John Rutledge had more of a lasting impact on the Constitution then James Madison is provocative. Because his main focus is slavery; Goldstone deals with the large state versus small state arguments and the central government versus states rights controversy though the prism of the particular institution and although this is interesting not all debates revolved around one single issue. He also paints Ben Franklin as something of an out of it cipher which is a little harsh. His ultimate conclusion is that the founders were not so much political philosophers as they were pragmatic individuals with their own agendas and their gift to us is a document that was workable and capable of being adapted to various challenges; but that document was deeply influenced by a horrible practice.