Constitution of the United States An Introduction

9780451627247

0451627245

Thus to this nation's Constitution. Written in its eloquent final form by Gouverneur Morris of New York, ratified in 1788 and put into effect the following year, the Constitution, in the years since its creation, has come to be recognized as one of history's most significant political documents. Yet, while it deeply affects the daily life of each American, too few of us are familiar with the Constitution's provisions. In this self-study book, Floyd G. Cullop carefully explains and comments upon the Constitution-its Preamble, main body, and amendments-so that readers may fully understand what it meant to our founding fathers and what it means to us today. This revised and updated edition covers all the changes that have been made in the structure of the federal government since original publication of the book. Included are a simplified text of the Constitution, definitions of hundreds of words as used in it, the answers to over 200 specific questions on the document, discussion of its historical background, and a full text of the Constitution in its original wording. This is the ideal introduction, for students and general reader alike, to a document that remains as fresh and relevant today as when it was originally drafted more than 200 years ago.