What Is the Constitution?

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • We the People deserve to know—what is the U.S. Constitution? Learn all about our governmental blueprint in this fascinating history for young readers, part of the beloved What Was? series. The perfect way to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary!

Signed on September 17, 1787—four years after the Revolutionary War won America’s independence from the British—the Constitution laid out the supreme laws of the United States. While it’s easy to take the ideas outlined in this document for granted today, fifty-five men from almost all of the original thirteen colonies argued fiercely for many months over what should be included. This fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the passionately-debated issues of the time—tensions between the Northern and Southern states, and larger states versus smaller, less-populated ones—illustrates the importance of the Constitution to the foundation of United States of America, and highlights key players such as James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington, who left an everlasting mark on U.S. history.