Constitution origins
Holton looks at role of 'unruly Americans'

Woody Holton's book about the origins of the Constitution became a finalist for the nonfiction National Book Award.

BY ALISSA POOLE, '94

Twelve years after beginning his book, Unruly Americans and the Origins of the Constitution, Woody Holton, associate professor of history, finally published his work. A week later, he became a National Book Award nonfiction finalist.

The National Book Award, which honors works in four categories (fiction, nonfiction, poetry and children's literature), selects finalists and winners from nominations by book publishers and was announced on Nov. 14. The nonfiction winner was Tim Weiner for a book about the history of the CIA.

In his book, Holton states "the vast majority of the most popular constitutional clauses are not actually in the Constitution that the framers signed on Sept. 17, 1787. Nearly all of the stirring phrases that Americans most cherish are actually in the Bill of Rights or in later amendments, especially those adopted after the Civil War." While the original seven articles do include some very important protections, he continues, most were simply carryovers from the Articles of Confederation.

So how did the Constitution evolve into the document we cherish today? Holton's book argues that the original Constitution solidified the powers of government but overlooked the rights of individual citizens. Through the efforts of, and sometimes uprisings by, ordinary citizens, most of the Bill of Rights and many of the later amendments were eventually added.

The son of former Virginia governor Linwood Holton and brother-in-law of current Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, Holton's interest in history and politics began early. As a graduate student at Duke University, Holton developed his interest in social history. His first book, Forced Founders: Indians, Debtors, Slaves and the Making of the American Revolution in Virginia, focused on the Constitution and all 13 states, with the last chapter providing content for his latest book.

Holton described his second book, which offers an untraditional look at the Constitution, as connecting elite political history with the social history of ordinary Americans. The elite thought the American Revolution had gone too far, giving ordinary people too much power. The goal of the framers in writing the Constitution was to rein in excess democracy by pushing the shift of power back to the elite, supporting Holton's theory that the Founding Fathers were more interested in controlling farmers and debtors than protecting human rights and democracy.

"If ordinary people had been completely passive," said Holton, "we wouldn't have the Bill of Rights."

The four years between the end of the Revolution and the writing of the Constitution were filled with conflicts and uprisings. As the political landowning elite enacted more taxes against already overburdened farmers, Holton argues the farmers had no choice but to react and rebel. The well-known Shays' Rebellion was one of many uprisings caused by increasing taxation and decreasing representation.

Holton's research included reviewing documents and petitions to state legislatures, stored at the Library of Virginia. One of the more difficult parts, he commented, was determining what petitions were valid and truly objective. He also reviewed newspapers from the 1780s, which were filled with a broad range of opinions, many of them anonymous, in the days before papers had editorial staffs.

As Holton continued his research, he encouraged his students to get involved. They reviewed 18th century documents, many of which he said he wouldn't have found on his own, and shared their findings with their professor. Last fall, as part of a course about the Constitution, Holton assigned the rough draft of his book.

"My students gave me some great criticisms," he recalled. "They helped me get rid of jargon and 18th century terms."

Because none of the National Book Award prize committee members were historians, they looked at the quality of the writing as much as the information contained in the book, Holton said. "My students made the positive contribution of making this a well-written book. I wouldn't have become a National Book Award finalist if it hadn't been for the suggestions of my students."

Holton also credits his history department colleagues for covering for him while he was researching and writing the book.

"I'm very grateful to everyone at UR," said Holton. "It definitely was a community event."

With his second book complete, Holton now is focusing on his third publication about war bond speculators and their role in financing the Revolution. The idea for this collection, which he described as "an enthusiasm I had that was not contagious," developed during his research for Unruly Americans. After reading Adams family correspondence, Holton learned that Abigail Adams, wife of President John Adams, was one of the best bond speculators of her time, despite having a husband who despised bond speculators and was unable to legally speculate on her behalf. With the book still a few years away from publication, for now, Holton is focusing on his family and spending time with his wife and 16-month-old daughter.