The Constitution: The Preamble and the Articles(Constitution)

Although the United States Constitution has changed somewhat, through amendments and through interpretation, in the years since it was adopted in 1789, the guarantees made by its Articles have remained the same. The Articles of the Constitution surpassed even the Framers' greatest hopes, creating a stable and effective government that has transferred power from one presidential administration to the next without violence or friction for over two centuries.

Review :
The Constitution of the United States is of utmost importance to the history and governance of the nation, but the document itself is dry and hard to understand. So David Weidner cleverly begins his introduction not by reciting the merits of our Constitution, but with the story of its trip down Pennsylvania Avenue to the National Archives--"enclosed in wooden crates, laid on mattresses...escorted by troops, two tanks and four servicemen carrying submachine guns." Weidner goes on to explain the background and discussion that preceded the vote on each Article, demonstrating the high degree of cooperation and compromise required. There are interesting examples of different Articles coming into play throughout our history. Article I, for example, gives Congress the right to allow private citizens to arm their ships with guns during wartime--a common practice when the Constitution was written. During World War II, Congress used this article to permit Ernest Hemingway to arm his private vessel to seek out and attack German U-boats. There is an excellent explanation of all the different taxes imposed by the government, the importance of the slave trade in many Constitutional debates, the origins of the National Guard, the connection between the Civil Rights Act and the government's right to regulate commerce, and even the fact that voting was originally scheduled on Tuesday so people would have time to travel to their polling places on Monday! The entire Constitution is included article by article at the beginning of each chapter and altogether in the back of the book, with key topics listed for each amendment. There are twelve books in "The Constitution" series, with separate titles concentrating on the creation of the document, the Bill of Rights, and key amendments (1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 18-21st, 19th). There are chapter notes, resources and an index in each book, but new words are explained in parentheses right in the text--"price ceilings (limits on how high prices may be raised)," "insurrections (rebellions against the government)." There are few illustrations but the text is large and easy to follow and offers an excellent introductory understanding to "the meaning, the history, and the significance" of the main body of the Constitution., Children's Literature