First published 2018
The United States Constitution explores how America's founding document came to exist. Patricia Demuth shows readers the intense debates that shaped the supreme law of the land. Fifty-five representatives from nearly all thirteen original states gathered to hammer out the framework for American government. These Framers spent months in heated arguments over what became just four pages of text. The book reveals the major conflicts that nearly derailed the process. Northern states clashed with Southern states over fundamental issues. Large states battled small ones for political power. Key figures like James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington pushed through countless revisions to reach agreement. Signed on September 17, 1787, four years after America won independence, the Constitution established the blueprint for how the nation would govern itself. Demuth takes readers behind the scenes of this contentious process, showing how fierce disagreements and political maneuvering created the document Americans rely on today.
Genres: history, political-science, non-fiction, american-history
Vibes: thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-fiction
Setting: America, United States
Period: 1787, 18th-century
112 pages · Paperback · Penguin Workshop