Ratification: The People Debate the Constitution, 1787-1788

When the delegates left the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in September 1787, the new Constitution they had written was no more than a proposal; elected conventions in at least nine of the thirteen states would have to ratify it. In this splendid new history, acclaimed historian Pauline Maier tells the dramatic story of the yearlong battle over ratification of the document that would become the legal bedrock of our nation.