Offering a fresh look at the writing of the U.S. Constitution, this book reveals the creative struggles of the Constitutional Convention, documents how the Constitution was born from compromise, and explains how the written Constitution was ratified and transformed into a working document.* Gives readers a concise, authoritative, and accessible explanation of the writing, ratification, and implementation of the U.S. Constitution* Includes key primary documents referenced in the text, including the Constitution itself, excerpts from letters and articles debating different aspects at the time, and debates from the Constitutional Convention* Shows both the idealism and the self-interested politics of the Constitution convention as well as the compromise necessary to create a working document