Formatted exactly like its predecessor, "Signing Their Lives Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independence," this book includes snapshots of each man who signed the US Constitution. It's a fun, brief overview of the lives and fates of these men. There's not much depth here, but that's not the point of the book. Its breezy style is fun to read and there are lots of neat factoids along the way. And the book jacket folds out into a large "poster" of the Constitution, so that's cool. Highly recommended! ( )

They fought against the idea of a strong central government based in London but decided that a strong central government was needed in the United States. Signing Their Rights Away: The Fame and Misfortune of the Men Who Signed the United States Constitution by married writers Denise Kiernan and Joseph D’Agnese gives readers a crash course on each signer’s lives up to and after the Constitutional Convention.

Throughout the Summer of 1787 men from 12—not Rhode Island—of the 13 States met in the same building that independence was declared to create a new government before the new nation burned down due to the failures of the Articles of Confederation. Over the course of the hot Philadelphia months, 55 men would participate in what became known as the Constitutional Convention but of those only 39 would sign the document that was sent to the States for ratification and is today in the National Archives. Kiernan and D’Agnese give brief biographical sketches of the 39 men—separated by state—whose signatures adorn the document filled with their life details as several anecdotes from the man who signed twice and who technically did not but is included, who died in a duel but did not get a Broadway bio play created for them, and who is so mysterious that we do not have any clue what he looked like. A illustrated portrait is included with 38 of the biographies to give faces to the signers especially those lesser known by the average American. While each biography is informative, the authors’ choice of off-handed remarks and other stylistic choices are at time annoying and off-putting which as it went on for almost 300 pages resulted in the rating this book received.

Overall, this is a good overview of all the men who created the system of government that we still use today at least if we can keep it. ( )

I have a strong interest in the American Revolution and the men who brainstormed to create a system of government with checks and balances. I started reading Signing Their Lives Away as a distraction and ended up getting sucked into these short quips on each of the original signers of the Constitution, plus reading the Constitution itself and recognizing it's sheer brilliance. Definitely worth a read if this subject interests you. ( )

Signing Their Rights Away, written by Denise Kiernan and Joseph D’Agnese, introduces readers to the 39 statesmen (including more than a few wastrels, scoundrels, drunks, debtors, swindlers and others of questionable morality) who met in the summer of 1787 to craft and eventually put their names to a revolutionary document one destined have world-wide repercussions………Americans know this document as the “U.S. Constitution”.

Signing Their Rights Away chronicles a unique moment in United States history, one where men from all over the country, from all different walks of life, in all different professions and all with different ideas about what type of constitution the new nation needed met one hot summer in 1787. What is monumental in this, is that these 39 individuals all came together, for the good of the United States and “compromised”, ultimately doing what was best for the American people.

But as interesting as the story is of the creation of the Constitution, the stories of the individual delegates who helped create it are even more fascinating. For example, Nicholas Gilman, delegate from New Hampshire, was a pretty boy who never said a single word during the entire convention, but who's enthusiasm for and promotion of the new Constitution helped ensure that New Hampshire became the ninth state to sign. Then there is Connecticut delegate Roger Sherman, who was the "only" founder to sign the four most important documents in the early history of the United States: the "Articles of Association", the "Declaration of Independence", the "Articles of Confederation" and the "Constitution". While Pennsylvania delegate, Thomas Mifflin, might have drunk more alcohol than the entire legislature of Pennsylvania, the man was a patriot, helping to raise troops to quell the Whiskey Rebellion. Finally, while Robert Morris, Pennsylvanian delegate and financier of the Revolution, wisely counseled all parties to “compromise” (something that both the GOP and the Democratic Parties should heed).

Signing Their Rights Away is an engaging and enlightening chronicle, one appealing to both armchair history buffs and historians alike.


***First Draft of Review***

"Signing Their Rights Away" was beyond fabulous! I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the lives of our nation's Founding Fathers. It even encouraged me to begin writing about what I call our "Forgotten Founding Fathers" on my Facebook account and Blog. The minutia of the lives of public figures is fascinating. For a few of the interesting quotes and people, see the comments I posted about this book or my blog/Facebook. ( )

Signing Their Rights Away, written by Denise Kiernan and Joseph D’Agnese, introduces readers to the 39 statesmen (including more than a few wastrels, scoundrels, drunks, debtors, swindlers and others of questionable morality) who met in the summer of 1787 to craft and eventually put their names to a revolutionary document one destined have world-wide repercussions………Americans know this document as the “U.S. Constitution”.

Signing Their Rights Away chronicles a unique moment in United States history, one where men from all over the country, from all different walks of life, in all different professions and all with different ideas about what type of constitution the new nation needed met one hot summer in 1787. What is monumental in this, is that these 39 individuals all came together, for the good of the United States and “compromised”, ultimately doing what was best for the American people.

But as interesting as the story is of the creation of the Constitution, the stories of the individual delegates who helped create it are even more fascinating. For example, Nicholas Gilman, delegate from New Hampshire, was a pretty boy who never said a single word during the entire convention, but who's enthusiasm for and promotion of the new Constitution helped ensure that New Hampshire became the ninth state to sign. Then there is Connecticut delegate Roger Sherman, who was the "only" founder to sign the four most important documents in the early history of the United States: the "Articles of Association", the "Declaration of Independence", the "Articles of Confederation" and the "Constitution". While Pennsylvania delegate, Thomas Mifflin, might have drunk more alcohol than the entire legislature of Pennsylvania, the man was a patriot, helping to raise troops to quell the Whiskey Rebellion. Finally, while Robert Morris, Pennsylvanian delegate and financier of the Revolution, wisely counseled all parties to “compromise” (something that both the GOP and the Democratic Parties should heed).

Signing Their Rights Away is an engaging and enlightening chronicle, one appealing to both armchair history buffs and historians alike.


***First Draft of Review***

"Signing Their Rights Away" was beyond fabulous! I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the lives of our nation's Founding Fathers. It even encouraged me to begin writing about what I call our "Forgotten Founding Fathers" on my Facebook account and Blog. The minutia of the lives of public figures is fascinating. For a few of the interesting quotes and people, see the comments I posted about this book or my blog/Facebook. ( )