Constitution: The Story of the Constitution and the Men Who Made It

This is from the text on the inside cover of the book. " The Constitution" Joseph W Welch with Richard Hofstadter and the Staff of Omnibus In the spring of 1956, the TV-Radio Workshop of The Ford Foundation, producers of Omnibus, broadcast a series of three programs dramatizing the history of the Constitution. The story was told not through a fictional script but in the actual words of the figures who have played important parts in the development of the American Constitution as an instrument of government. Richard Hofstadter, who was the historian on the project, is Professor of History at Columbia University, and author of American Political tradition and Men Who Made it and The Age of Reform, for which he has recently received a Pulitzer Prize. The television broadcasts proved to be the most popular and widely praised productions in Omnibus's distinguished four years. The material itself and the wisdom and sincerity of those who presented it combined to give millions of viewers an in inspiring experience. Those who had first known Joseph N. Welch as the Army's counsel in the McArthy hearings now saw him in the role of commentator and guide, as he showed them the framers of the constitution forging from their differing philosophies a practical and lasting basis for democratic government, and then the varied procession of Americans who came after them interpreting its original phrases to keep it a green and potent force in the conduct of their lives. Now the substance of these programs had been adapted to permanent and readily available book form. A skillful use of photographs and text has preserved the visual impact and sense of the movement of the original. Here spread out for the reader is the dramatic story of the creation and continued growth of the document that has shaped and will continue to shape the destiny of his country."