We the People: The Story of Our Constitution
Would you like to know how to explain the Constitution of the United States in language that would make it
understandable to youngsters and at the same time, serve as a reminder of this historic document?
Author Lynne Cheney has provided a book that tells the dramatic story of how the Constitution
came to be created at the end of the Revolutionary War. The illustrations by Greg Harlin make the
reader feel as though they are part of the tale.
Cheney presents the gathering of the representatives and describes the issues and arguments that
occurred before the Constitution could be written. The people involved are presented in fascinating detail.
It tells the story about the problems facing the new country because the thirteen states were squabbling,
it could not pay its bills, and in Massachusetts farmers had taken up arms against the government.
When the delegates met in May 1787, among them George Washington, James Madison,
and Benjamin Franklin, they would create the framework for governing the country:
the Constitution of the United States.
While written for ages 9-12, it will serve history buffs as well. The book is well researched and easy to
read, perfect as a reminder to the adult sharing with a youngster about how "We the People" came to
be the example, inspiration and hope for freedom around the world.
About the author:
Lynne Cheney is the author of the New York Times bestsellers America: A Patriotic Primer,
A is for Abigail: An Almanac of Amazing American Women, When Washington Crossed the Delaware:
A Wintertime Story for Young Patriots, A Time for Freedom: What Happened When in America, and
Our 50 States: A Family Adventure Across America, and has written a memoir, Blue Skies,
No Fences. Mrs. Cheney is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and former chair of the
National Endowment for the Humanities. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband, Vice President
Richard B. Cheney.
About the illustrator:
Greg Harlin is an acclaimed artist and illustrator. His books for children include Dangerous Crossing,
Paul Revere's Midnight Ride, Mississippi, and Hanukkah at Valley Forge, winner of the 2007 Sydney
Taylor Book Award. He has spent much of his twenty-eight working years recreating history through
his paintings. His work has appeared in many national periodicals, including National Geographic,
National Park Service publications, and Kids Discover magazine, and has received award
recognition from the Society of Illustrators and American Illustration, among other entities. Mr. Harlin lives
in Annapolis, Maryland.
Cheney, Lynn and Greg Harlin. We the People: The Story of Our Constitution. New York: Simon & Schuster,
2008
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Comments
in reality the us constituion was written by white people for white people only, non whites were not part of AMERICA back then. no non whites had any part of the construction of the us constitution and were banned from being citizens of America.
equal men are not free men FREEMEN are not equal men.
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