American Documents: The Constitution

by Paul Finkelman

Constitutional law expert Paul Finkelman offers readers a carefully researched and highly readable look at the document that is the blueprint of American democracy. He begins by showing how ineffective the Confederation government was in dealing with the problems facing the newly independent no uniform laws among states, no courts to settle arguments, no power to collect taxes. Then the reader sits in on the Constitutional Convention, where arguments about how to balance power between large and small states and how to count slaves as part of the population are among the key issues. They will learn about the Virginia Plan, the New Jersey Plan, the Connecticut Plan, and the Three-fifths Compromise, and meet some of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists who passionately argued the Constitution's pros and cons until it was finally ratified and became the law of the land. Includes the complete text of The Constitution.

Genres: Juvenile, History

48 pages, Hardcover

First published December 27, 2005

About the author

Paul Finkelman is an American legal historian. He received his undergraduate degree in American studies from Syracuse University in 1971, and his master's degree (1972) and doctorate (1976) in American history from the University of Chicago.

Reviews

[Clifford Onehundredd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had to refresh my memory of the Constitution and the bill of Rights...