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As this country stumbles around from issue to issue trying to find common ground upon which legislation can be written to help solve our problems, it's always important to look back to the founding fathers for guidance on how they forged this country from all the various competing factors. Richard Beeman's "Plain, Honest Men: The Making of the American Constitution" is one of those revealing historical studies that plainly show how difficult it was to forge consensus. And yet they did:

We like to think of our nation's founders as men with unwavering fealty to high-minded principles. To some extent they were. But when they gathered in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787 to write the Constitution, they showed that they were also something just as great and often more difficult to be: compromisers. In that regard they reflected not just the classical virtues of honor and integrity but also the Enlightenment's values of balance, order, tolerance, scientific calibration and respect for other people's beliefs. On almost all issues that they faced -- with one very big exception -- this art of compromise served them well.

It's an awesome story that every American should read to understand how on earth this country has survived over 200 years with so many different competing interests. It's just fascinating...

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