How the Constitution Was Created

Children's Literature - Debbie Levy

This book in "The U.S. Government: How It Works" series tells what Hubbard-Brown describes as "one of the most thrilling stories ever told"—the story of the Constitution's creation. Hubbard-Brown's retelling of this story cannot be characterized as thrilling, but she does infuse constitutional history with life by focusing on people—those who were behind the document, as well as, to quote one of the chapter headings, "Those Who Were Left Out." After a summary of the problems that delegates to the 1787 convention set out to remedy, and an overview of the arduous process of writing the new Constitution, the book turns to the leaders who were instrumental in the process. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson are all subjects of mini-biographies; James Madison and Alexander Hamilton also receive substantial attention. This personality-driven approach to the Constitution emphasizes that it was flesh-and-blood, fallible men (and only men) who wrote the document; it did not spring neatly from any single person's pen. This is a useful and enlivening perspective. Reviewer: Debbie Levy