Miracle at Philadelphia vs. Miracles of Technology

In a technologically advanced world chock-full of high-tech video games, interactive computer systems, and total-immersion movie experiences, the glory of yesteryear as told through timeless literature is being inevitably bottlenecked and pinched off. The historical account, Miracle at Philadelphia by Catherine Drinker Bowen, is one of countless books that are overshadowed by the action-packed sci-fi and thriller novels that this generation enjoys so fervently. The sheer dimensions, thickness, and weight of the book discourage readers; the picture which endorses the otherwise plain cover conveys a solemn moment, which translates today into boredom; in fact, at a casual glance, the sole savior of this particular novel is the intriguing title: Miracle at Philadelphia. Despite these apparent misgivings and seemingly obvious detriments, Bowen’s account provides readers with a rare combination of accuracy, entertainment, and education.

Accuracy is difficult to judge when one is dealing with history. As a general rule, as history becomes more distant, its accounts become more hazy. Thus, those who wish to deal with history find it imperative to develop good research and language skills. Bowen displays prowess in this field in Miracle at Philadelphia: The Story of the Constitutional Convention May to September 1787. As exploration goes, the Internet and CD-ROM capabilities of today nearly nullify any research skills that were ever previously required. In 1966, however, computers at home had not even made their imminent debut, and Bowen was condemned to the use of traditional research strategies. Surely libraries, public and private, served as her primary home during her research (which can be assumed to have lasted weeks, months, or years). Research alone, however, no matter what the sheer volume may be, will not educate a reader. Bowen had initiative enough to collect her notes and formulate them into a story, more or less, whose goal would be to entertain and tickle the interest of its readers.

History books share the title of infamous with many other school books, all of which are notorious for being the pinnacle of monotonous reading. How was one to take a history book and focus on one section without making it more boring than the actual history book? When a picture is cropped and zoomed in, a certain quality is lost, and the graininess of the result is much less pleasing than the original. Luckily for Bowen and contrary to photographs, history opens up and clarifies as it is looked deeper into. Behind every page of a history book lurk millions of untold stories, which, when tapped into effectively, can provide an endless supply of interesting, educating, and entertaining accounts. Tapped into effectively is the key, and it takes a skillful author to weave together research notes into a comprehensive story of events.

Bowen succeeded in her endeavor with flying colors. Throughout the Constitutional Convention, most of the delegates took notes to some degree, at one time or another. Apparently, "...had it not been for [James] Madison we should possess very scanty records of the Convention." (Miracle at Philadelphia, p. 30) Bowen’s writing and footnotes indicating "Madison’s italics," et. al. suggests that she drew extensively from James Madison’s exhaustive account of the entire four-month long proceedings. Punctuating this trend, however, are hundreds of snips and quotes from each of the other fifty-five delegates present at the Convention. This tactic not only reveals a plethora of research, but also a writing skill which earns the author respect as a reputable, esteemed, nearly imposing source.

As a basic law of chemistry, an activation energy is needed to set a chemical reaction in motion. The same idea can be transposed when dealing with historical accounts in this technologically fun age. Some will-power applied to tear ones eyes away from the computer screen, to yank one from the surround-sound theaters, or to avert one’s attention from the television screen can have very positive results. Miracle at Philadelphia, written long ago for a generation with boring summer vacations will surprise the owners of even the fastest telecommunications modems; Bowen has successfully held the attention and coaxed a few scoffs and chuckles from this computer nerd, and has inserted herself into a position as a timeless educator.