Foreword

Introduction : Consensus and conflict in the framing of the Constitution

Society divided : the colonies at the framing of the Constitution

Internal struggle between the elite and the underclass / Merrill Jensen ; Economic instability plagues the union / Clinton Rossiter ; Strong national identity bridges class and social divisions / Richard B. Bernstein with Kym S. Rice

Roots of the Constitution

Defining principles of a new, federal government / Bernard Bailyn ; Early experiments with mixed government / Gordon S. Wood

Constitution lays the foundation of a nation

Ensuring the independence of the three branches of government / George W. Carey ; Establishing the powers of the executive office / Jack N. Rakove ; Great compromise determines representation in Congress / Max Farrand ; Protecting commercial interest and sealing the fate of slaves / Christopher Collier & James Lincoln Collier ; Guaranteeing civil liberties in the First Amendment / Richard B. Bernstein with Jerome Agel

Legacy of the Constitution

Flourish of free enterprise / Nation's business ; Inspiration to other nations / John Greenwald ; Question of slavery : preserving the union at the expense of justice / Herbert J. Storing

Critiques of the Constitution

Constitution is an economic document / Charles A. Beard ; Women had to fight to become equal citizens / Sharon Whitney ; Strategy of evasion and silence on the slavery issue / Joseph J. Ellis.