When the first two volumes of William Crosskey's monumental study of the Constitution appeared in 1953, Arthur M. Schlesinger called it "perhaps the most fertil

From abortion to same-sex marriage, today's most urgent political debates will hinge on this two-part question: What did the United States Constitution original

The 233-year story of how the American people have taken an imperfect constitution—the product of compromises and an artifact of its time—and made it more d

Reprint. Originally published : Washington, D.C. : National Archives Trust Fund Board, 1978.

Americans hate and distrust their government. At the same time, Americans love and trust their government. These contradictory attitudes are resolved by Fletche