8th Grade: Evaluating Resources: Citations

Written in terms kids can understand, this revised and updated book explains what the United States Constitution does, and describes how it affects and protects people today.

Many of the political issues we struggle with today have their roots in the US Constitution. This book takes readers back to the creation of this historic document, discusses how contemporary problems were first introduced, and then offers possible solutions. Think Electoral College, gerrymandering, even the Senate. Many of us take these features in our system for granted. But they came about through haggling in an overheated room in 1787, and we're still experiencing the ramifications.

Accounts of Shays' Rebellion, the Articles of Confederation, the call for a Federal Convention, key excerpts from the Virginia Plan, and notes recorded by James Madison provide the background to the framing of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. This volume also includes documents from Washington, Franklin, Jay, Hamilton, and others.