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The Constitution of the United States with the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation
The most important documents of the United States of America are collected in this easy-to-read volume, which includes the Constitution of the United States of America, with all of the Amendments; The Declaration of Independence; the Articles of Confederation, and an appendix containing a list of the states by date of admission to the Union. Every citizen of the United States, student of history anywhere in the world, or anyone interested in understanding who we are as a nation should have and study a copy of these works.
110 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2002
424 people are currently reading
1149 people want to read
About the author
Founding Fathers
179 books664 followersThe term Founding Fathers of the United States of America refers broadly to the individuals of the Thirteen British Colonies in North America who led the American Revolution against the authority of the British Crown and established the United States of America. It is also used more narrowly, referring specifically to those who either signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 or who were delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention and took part in drafting the proposed Constitution of the United States. A further subset includes those who signed the Articles of Confederation. During much of the 19th century, they were referred to as either the "Founders" or the "Fathers".
Some historians define the "Founding Fathers" to mean a larger group, including not only the Signers and the Framers but also all those who, whether as politicians, jurists, statesmen, soldiers, diplomats, or ordinary citizens, took part in winning American independence and creating the United States of America. Historian Richard B. Morris in 1973 identified the following seven figures as the key Founding Fathers: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington . Adams, Jefferson, and Franklin worked on the committee to draft the Declaration of Independence. Hamilton, Madison, and Jay were authors of the The Federalist Papers, advocating ratification of the Constitution. Washington commanded the revolutionary army. All served in important positions in the early government of the United States.
DOB based on First Continental Congress
DOD based on death of James Madison, last surviving member
Some historians define the "Founding Fathers" to mean a larger group, including not only the Signers and the Framers but also all those who, whether as politicians, jurists, statesmen, soldiers, diplomats, or ordinary citizens, took part in winning American independence and creating the United States of America. Historian Richard B. Morris in 1973 identified the following seven figures as the key Founding Fathers: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington . Adams, Jefferson, and Franklin worked on the committee to draft the Declaration of Independence. Hamilton, Madison, and Jay were authors of the The Federalist Papers, advocating ratification of the Constitution. Washington commanded the revolutionary army. All served in important positions in the early government of the United States.
DOB based on First Continental Congress
DOD based on death of James Madison, last surviving member
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
August 16, 2009
Reread for the first time since High School Government class (25 years). It is a great reminder of what The People's rights are and as it says in the 10th Amendment, "The powers NOT delegated (specifically) to the United States by the Constitution (such as creating Czars over industry or bailing out banks), nor prohibited by it to the states, ARE RESERVED TO THE STATES RESPECTIVELY OR TO THE PEOPLE." The Constitution is NOT out of date, those who claim it is (Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton et al [both of whom have sworn before God, angels and millions of witnesses to uphold it:]) want to destroy the power of the People and give more to themselves because they think the People can't govern themselves and because they are greedy and want to create a "Big Brother" state in order to track/punish those who disagree with them. Just my opinion though. I believe I still have the freedom of speech granted in the 1st Amendment.
November 4, 2013
Sadly, most Americans can't even tell you what the 'Bill of Rights' are, let alone what is contained therein. Study the Constitution; read the Declaration; review the Articles of Confederation: see why the Founders threw out the former, and opted for a stronger centralized government, the Bill of Rights notwithstanding, with the latter. These documents are not just for historians: These are why we are Americans.
Read
October 8, 2025“By Founding Fathers” goes hard for the author name
November 13, 2020
mad boring. sounded like a bunch of white men grouped together and wrote it. don't know why everyone is obsessed with this 🙄 anyways, gonna go watch skins now 🤪
Read
October 16, 2024"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish..."
February 26, 2018
Many have read the United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, but few have read the Articles of Confederation. Therefore, it's a treat to have all three in the same book and be able to compare and contrast each one which founded the United States of America.
October 29, 2012
Of course this is an excellent read!! The only disappointing thing is realizing how far we stray from these ideals.
March 21, 2015
Always on the currently reading shelf.
May 31, 2018
Wow
This is an amazing and infuriating document. As a country, as an "experiment" in democracy, it's a wonder we are still here. The hypocrisy is staggering.
This is an amazing and infuriating document. As a country, as an "experiment" in democracy, it's a wonder we are still here. The hypocrisy is staggering.
January 20, 2021
brilliant work. too bad that too much of the best stuff was never extended to the entire population, and now we're trying like crazy to break the good bits that remain.
September 12, 2016
Great short reference for the Constitution and related founding documents.
May 2, 2021
In defense of her support of Donald Trump, a white female relative of mine who lives in the great state of Ohio began by saying, “I believe in the Constitution.”
This struck me as something that people say to sound patriotic without really saying anything at all, so I decided to go back and read the document in full to see if it’s really that admirable and inspiring, or whether my relative was simply using that line to defend the indefensible.
The Constitution of the United States establishes the general structure of federal government, i.e. the legislative (Congress), executive (President), and judicial (Supreme Court) branches, and their roles. This includes general overviews of how bills are created and passed into law, how the President is elected, and things like Congress having the power to impose and collect taxes.
There have been 27 amendments to it since it was written in 1787.
In my eyes, this is not a good thing. If I published a book that was so flawed and/or omitted so much crucial information that I had to revise it a whopping 27 times, you would objectively conclude that the original version was crap. Or at the very least, that it was out of touch with modern readers and therefore obsolete/crap.
So while we might dismiss the Constitution as a swing and a miss, because the Founding Fathers were prescient enough to recognize that their first try at laying down the basic principles with which to run the burgeoning union was not infallible, and because they included a clause to allow for amendments, we can include the amendments when judging the Constitution.
The first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were critical. Passed in 1789, they included some, but not all, fundamental individual/human rights. Among these were the freedoms of religion, speech, and the press. In my eyes, the latter two freedoms combine to form the keystone of creating and maintaining a true democracy (or democratic republic or whatever the hell we have). So while omitting these and other human rights in the original was not great, we can award some credit for redressing these points two years later.
There are some other positives in this document, which at the time was revolutionary, including that in the preamble they set forth that the goal of the Constitution is to “establish Justice,” “promote the general Welfare,” and to “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” (Hello, climate change. Apparently, we have a mandate from our Founding Fathers to ensure that the world does not go up in flames. Well, at least the U.S. anyway.)
Further, they set in stone at the outset that religion shall not factor into anything government-related at all. Well done.
Unfortunately, there are many many failures. Chief among them being slavery (allowing it) and suffrage (implicitly allowing only white males to vote).
Granted, this document is a product of its time and place, but nonetheless, the fact that it stated that importing slaves was fine until 1808, and that the federal government could wet its beak at $10/slave is pretty egregious.
There is also a ‘Slaves can’t escape to Free States’ clause.
Sure, the 13th Amendment abolished slavery, but that wasn’t until 78 years later, and over 1.5 million lives were lost to get there.
The fact that these clauses are still included in the Constitution makes me wonder why we’ve just tacked amendments onto the Constitution and not revised the whole thing so that ridiculous and shameful clauses like these are no longer included. So that this was the First Edition, and the 21st Century Edition simply says that all citizens of the United States have full and equal rights. Something that reflects our current values and vision that we can respect and believe in wholeheartedly.
Plus, while the 13th Amendment outlaws slavery in general, it includes an exception for people convicted of crimes. So of course racists made up all sorts of bullshit ways to convict black people of crimes so that they could continue to have them work as slaves. How about no slavery period? Incidentally, how about focusing on rehabilitation for all but the most heinous of criminals?
With respect to suffrage, it took until 1919 for the Constitution, which my female relative in Ohio passionately believes in, to allow women the right to vote via the 19th Amendment. That’s poor. And again, it’s embarrassing to have to have that in there.
While not on the level of slavery and suffrage, what came as a kick in the nuts to me was the 18th Amendment in 1917. The one that prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquors. What the fuck?! I wipe my ass with you, Constitution!
Granted, they again righted a wrong with an amendment, in this case in 1933, but even with take-backsies employed, the fact that somewhere in this Constitution is a clause that prohibits alcohol renders it as defective as an alcohol that doesn’t give you an inflated sense of self-esteem.
Further, I feel compelled to point out something that is not in the Constitution. There is definitely nothing that says that it’s okay to anonymously donate unlimited amounts of money to politicians. There is no ‘Dark money is just peachy’ clause. I’m not sure what Constitution the jackasses on the Supreme Court were looking at when they decided that it’s okay for the 1-percenters to control politicians and policy from the shadows, but it wasn’t this one. I wipe my ass with the Court, too!
Lastly, just to be a dick, I have to call out the Constitution for containing some offensively poor grammar. The following two parts are from back-to-back sentences.
“Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States;” … “If he approve he shall sign it,”
Was one of the Founders a first-grader?
Regardless, in conclusion, while I have not read any other Constitutions, and while this one seems for the most part not terrible post-amendments, it doesn’t strike me as anything even close to sacred. It’s clearly not God’s Word, and anyone using it as the foundation for their political beliefs and patriotism has probably never read it front to back, and is probably just using that ‘I believe in the Constitution’ line to defend something indefensible. Like voting for Donald Trump. Twice. I’m sorry, white female relative in Ohio, but you’re support of Trump and your undying love of the current Constitution is stupid.
3 stars.
Bonus Quote: “The Congress shall assemble at least once in every Year, and such Meeting shall be on the first Monday in December, unless they shall by law appoint a different Day.”
Holy Crap! Just once a year?! What a dream job! The idiots in office now are doing it all wrong.
Bonus Right-to-Bear-Arms Note: The intent of the 2nd Amendment, the one setting forth the right to bear arms, looks to me to be for protecting the State, not for hunting or shooting up schools, or even for protecting one’s family. Basically, if the State doesn’t need protecting, then there’s no right for the people to have guns. But I’d consult an expert before saying that definitively.
Bonus Presidential-Election Note: The process for electing the president is clearly outdated. Rather than each state appointing Electors who elect the President, it’s easy enough today, and more in line with our way of thinking about government, to just give each citizen a vote for President, and the candidate who gets the most votes wins. This clearly needs to be updated.
For more reviews, check out The Comedic Novel Review at www.pearlsbeforeswine68.com which is also home to the Great White Host Blog.
This struck me as something that people say to sound patriotic without really saying anything at all, so I decided to go back and read the document in full to see if it’s really that admirable and inspiring, or whether my relative was simply using that line to defend the indefensible.
The Constitution of the United States establishes the general structure of federal government, i.e. the legislative (Congress), executive (President), and judicial (Supreme Court) branches, and their roles. This includes general overviews of how bills are created and passed into law, how the President is elected, and things like Congress having the power to impose and collect taxes.
There have been 27 amendments to it since it was written in 1787.
In my eyes, this is not a good thing. If I published a book that was so flawed and/or omitted so much crucial information that I had to revise it a whopping 27 times, you would objectively conclude that the original version was crap. Or at the very least, that it was out of touch with modern readers and therefore obsolete/crap.
So while we might dismiss the Constitution as a swing and a miss, because the Founding Fathers were prescient enough to recognize that their first try at laying down the basic principles with which to run the burgeoning union was not infallible, and because they included a clause to allow for amendments, we can include the amendments when judging the Constitution.
The first 10 amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were critical. Passed in 1789, they included some, but not all, fundamental individual/human rights. Among these were the freedoms of religion, speech, and the press. In my eyes, the latter two freedoms combine to form the keystone of creating and maintaining a true democracy (or democratic republic or whatever the hell we have). So while omitting these and other human rights in the original was not great, we can award some credit for redressing these points two years later.
There are some other positives in this document, which at the time was revolutionary, including that in the preamble they set forth that the goal of the Constitution is to “establish Justice,” “promote the general Welfare,” and to “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” (Hello, climate change. Apparently, we have a mandate from our Founding Fathers to ensure that the world does not go up in flames. Well, at least the U.S. anyway.)
Further, they set in stone at the outset that religion shall not factor into anything government-related at all. Well done.
Unfortunately, there are many many failures. Chief among them being slavery (allowing it) and suffrage (implicitly allowing only white males to vote).
Granted, this document is a product of its time and place, but nonetheless, the fact that it stated that importing slaves was fine until 1808, and that the federal government could wet its beak at $10/slave is pretty egregious.
There is also a ‘Slaves can’t escape to Free States’ clause.
Sure, the 13th Amendment abolished slavery, but that wasn’t until 78 years later, and over 1.5 million lives were lost to get there.
The fact that these clauses are still included in the Constitution makes me wonder why we’ve just tacked amendments onto the Constitution and not revised the whole thing so that ridiculous and shameful clauses like these are no longer included. So that this was the First Edition, and the 21st Century Edition simply says that all citizens of the United States have full and equal rights. Something that reflects our current values and vision that we can respect and believe in wholeheartedly.
Plus, while the 13th Amendment outlaws slavery in general, it includes an exception for people convicted of crimes. So of course racists made up all sorts of bullshit ways to convict black people of crimes so that they could continue to have them work as slaves. How about no slavery period? Incidentally, how about focusing on rehabilitation for all but the most heinous of criminals?
With respect to suffrage, it took until 1919 for the Constitution, which my female relative in Ohio passionately believes in, to allow women the right to vote via the 19th Amendment. That’s poor. And again, it’s embarrassing to have to have that in there.
While not on the level of slavery and suffrage, what came as a kick in the nuts to me was the 18th Amendment in 1917. The one that prohibited the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquors. What the fuck?! I wipe my ass with you, Constitution!
Granted, they again righted a wrong with an amendment, in this case in 1933, but even with take-backsies employed, the fact that somewhere in this Constitution is a clause that prohibits alcohol renders it as defective as an alcohol that doesn’t give you an inflated sense of self-esteem.
Further, I feel compelled to point out something that is not in the Constitution. There is definitely nothing that says that it’s okay to anonymously donate unlimited amounts of money to politicians. There is no ‘Dark money is just peachy’ clause. I’m not sure what Constitution the jackasses on the Supreme Court were looking at when they decided that it’s okay for the 1-percenters to control politicians and policy from the shadows, but it wasn’t this one. I wipe my ass with the Court, too!
Lastly, just to be a dick, I have to call out the Constitution for containing some offensively poor grammar. The following two parts are from back-to-back sentences.
“Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States;” … “If he approve he shall sign it,”
Was one of the Founders a first-grader?
Regardless, in conclusion, while I have not read any other Constitutions, and while this one seems for the most part not terrible post-amendments, it doesn’t strike me as anything even close to sacred. It’s clearly not God’s Word, and anyone using it as the foundation for their political beliefs and patriotism has probably never read it front to back, and is probably just using that ‘I believe in the Constitution’ line to defend something indefensible. Like voting for Donald Trump. Twice. I’m sorry, white female relative in Ohio, but you’re support of Trump and your undying love of the current Constitution is stupid.
3 stars.
Bonus Quote: “The Congress shall assemble at least once in every Year, and such Meeting shall be on the first Monday in December, unless they shall by law appoint a different Day.”
Holy Crap! Just once a year?! What a dream job! The idiots in office now are doing it all wrong.
Bonus Right-to-Bear-Arms Note: The intent of the 2nd Amendment, the one setting forth the right to bear arms, looks to me to be for protecting the State, not for hunting or shooting up schools, or even for protecting one’s family. Basically, if the State doesn’t need protecting, then there’s no right for the people to have guns. But I’d consult an expert before saying that definitively.
Bonus Presidential-Election Note: The process for electing the president is clearly outdated. Rather than each state appointing Electors who elect the President, it’s easy enough today, and more in line with our way of thinking about government, to just give each citizen a vote for President, and the candidate who gets the most votes wins. This clearly needs to be updated.
For more reviews, check out The Comedic Novel Review at www.pearlsbeforeswine68.com which is also home to the Great White Host Blog.
December 10, 2023
Some writings are worth reading at different points in life. I first read the U.S. Constitution as part of an assignment in Government class as a high school Senior, then again in college for more course work. As an early elementary teacher I sometimes skimmed the text on a poster I would hang on the wall when we discussed early government developments.
Present day - As part of a banned book podcast, host Ali Velshi, recently read the entire US Constitution. It was a gentle reminder to stay abreast of essential foundational information during periods of political strife and turmoil in our country. This was a word for word reading, with no commentary.
Unlike many state constitutions and other countries, the U.S. Constitution has only been amended 27 times, with many of this amendments granting greater access to the liberties detailed in the document. Its first three words – “We The People” – affirm that the government of the United States exists to serve its citizens. Although clearly stated this is something I feel many politicians and citizens have forgotten. When I doubt, forget the memes on social media. Go back to the original documents and read the law yourself.
Grateful US Citizen ♥️🇺🇸
Present day - As part of a banned book podcast, host Ali Velshi, recently read the entire US Constitution. It was a gentle reminder to stay abreast of essential foundational information during periods of political strife and turmoil in our country. This was a word for word reading, with no commentary.
Unlike many state constitutions and other countries, the U.S. Constitution has only been amended 27 times, with many of this amendments granting greater access to the liberties detailed in the document. Its first three words – “We The People” – affirm that the government of the United States exists to serve its citizens. Although clearly stated this is something I feel many politicians and citizens have forgotten. When I doubt, forget the memes on social media. Go back to the original documents and read the law yourself.
Grateful US Citizen ♥️🇺🇸
August 13, 2022
I haven’t ever read the entire Constitution, Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation in one sitting. Since Civics class in high school, I’ve appreciated the creative and inspirational and intellectual rigor of the “founding fathers.” Reading it again, in light of a fractured nation and political polarization, is inspiring and also sobering.
The Declaration of Independence gives reasons why they sought to free themselves from tyranny. Read their list and see if you don’t recognize some of the same auspices of tyranny present in 2022 by our political ruling class.
“Consent of the governed” is a profound and needed reality. If only the likes of George Washington, a John Adams, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and even Benjamin Franklin were present today to offer philosophical and intellectual insight to maneuvering our nation forward in unity and posterity!
The Declaration of Independence gives reasons why they sought to free themselves from tyranny. Read their list and see if you don’t recognize some of the same auspices of tyranny present in 2022 by our political ruling class.
“Consent of the governed” is a profound and needed reality. If only the likes of George Washington, a John Adams, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and even Benjamin Franklin were present today to offer philosophical and intellectual insight to maneuvering our nation forward in unity and posterity!
August 9, 2020
While this looks like a good guideline, it really falls apart on application. If the President is an honest person with integrity, it all works. If not, it is a work of fiction as seen with King Yam right now. As an example, the emoluments clause states that the Presidential salary is supposed to be the sole source of income. This clown is violating this all over the place from landing military planes close to his golf course in Scotland to raise his personal revenue to selling the dollar store dunce caps on line to pocket in his own genes. #Sad #Disgusting
January 5, 2023
Just wanted what the title implies.
Most people that intend to purchase this product are already indoctrinated in its purpose and ideas.
However, it is nice to have a copy of the finer details and any discussion that may come up.
Unfortunately, I purchased this pamphlet before reading the reviews. Even if I had, I would not have believed them.
All it took was one glance to realize that instead of what I purchased I received more opinions than substance. Shame on me. Do not make the same mistake and purchase this propagandist gobbledygook.
Most people that intend to purchase this product are already indoctrinated in its purpose and ideas.
However, it is nice to have a copy of the finer details and any discussion that may come up.
Unfortunately, I purchased this pamphlet before reading the reviews. Even if I had, I would not have believed them.
All it took was one glance to realize that instead of what I purchased I received more opinions than substance. Shame on me. Do not make the same mistake and purchase this propagandist gobbledygook.
November 14, 2021
I read once a year. Needs to be updated. Tragically out of date and doesn’t really work well anymore. Worth reading tho, cuz you will quickly find the people who constantly yell about the constitution and loving it so much... they’ve never read it and are just parroting talking points they have heard someone else say. Reading it for yourself allows ya to make your own opinions and understanding.
Takes about an hour to read.
Takes about an hour to read.
May 27, 2023
Nothing like having a text copy of the US constitution. As a naturalized American I had to know it, for the test, but what a privilege to be able to read it and pass on the knowledge of our freedoms to the generations after us and keep our government in check by knowing what they should be doing and when they've overstepped their bounds.
December 30, 2025
Wow, very interesting and very important. I don’t know if I’ve ever read these documents in their entirety. I don’t remember it being required reading in school. But this needs to be read and re-read by Americans.
January 31, 2026
I reread the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights for the first time since high school -it's been 45 years. I will make an effort to review every few few years going forward.
February 6, 2022
This is a really great little book with the three documents all in one place, so easy for review when needed.
Read
July 14, 2022#had to read this for apush so i might as well
god this is so american of me
god this is so american of me
November 2, 2022
About time that I read this….I recommend it to everyone.
Read
September 1, 2024(I don't give star ratings to religious texts and ideological treatises, whether I believe in them or not)
September 23, 2024
When I got high for the first time I sat and explained the purpose of these articles to a group of friends for an hour and a half. So, obviously, I kind of like them
June 22, 2025
Important read. Lack of inclusivity. Could use amending.
November 8, 2020
By unanimous consensus, the local chapter of my Prepper community considers two plausible scenarios for the future of our arrogant species. The first one predicts collapse before the advent of space exploration, with the encroachment of government power leading to gradual political polarization across the West until a consequential yet unspecified threshold is attained. Equally nebulous is the second one: we estimate that at least half a dozen ships make it to Jupiter's friendlier moons, no heroes or celebrities on board, only the fertile and the hopeful. Last week we voted on the required readings to prepare for each of the two scenarios, and while Deedee Miller's classic, Two Proven Ways to Survive A Bear Attack, bagged a spot on both lists, we are still undecided on the need for the enlightened-and-wishful thinking of the USA's foundational documents. A final decision is expected before Christmas, however.
October 24, 2020
My rating is not for the contents of the document as we are talking about one of the most important political documents of modern history. However, this version is a disgrace and the publisher should be ashamed. It appears that the text was simply copy/pasted from the internet and printed without reviewing it for form and appearance (e.g. Article VI is included two times and the Amendments include "notes" and "history" which appear to be former internet links that are no longer present in the printed version). For a quality copy of the U.S. Constitution, I recommend the one from Applewood Books instead.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews