Description: America had won the Revolution, but the nation's troubles were far from over. In May 1787, delegates from across the country--including George Washington, James Madison, and Benjamin Franklin--gathered in Philadelphia to create a new framework for governing: the Constitution of the United States.

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Children's Literature Review: With clarity and precision, Lynne Cheney simply and succinctly outlines the obstacles faced in 1788 by the new nation in keeping it from falling apart. When the 12 delegates met in Philadelphia, individual states were printing their own money, the British troops refused to vacate military posts, and the farmers of Massachusetts were rising up against the fragile government. Against this backdrop Cheney explains how leaders like Madison, Washington and Franklin worked with those who disagreed with their proposals, men like William Patterson of New Jersey, Governor Morris of Pennsylvania, and John Dickinson of Delaware. How diverse individuals representing diverse regions and ideas reached a compromise that yielded a document that goes to the very core of the republic is fascinating and very readable for young readers. Harlin's watercolors capture the period and the mood of the emerging nation. His portraits of the remarkable Founding Fathers breathe life and character into them. In this...

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