THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES was created in 1787 by fifty-five American leaders who met in Philadelphia to strengthen a young and troubled nation. Today, some two hundred years later, the Constitution is still the foundation of the American government and way of life. It is an extraordinary set of laws, unique in granting power to the people and protecting individual rights.

This easy-to-understand book tells the story of the remarkable document's birth, from the opening of the Constitutional Convention through the adoption of the Bill of Rights four years later. Giulio Maestro's colorful pictures bring this historic gathering in Philadelphia to life.

A compendium of additional information at the back of the book includes a chronology; summaries of the Constitution's text and amendments, notes on the delegates to the convention, and the names of the signers.

From the dust jacket