The Story of the Constitution

The Story of the Constitution
Marilyn Prolman
Scholastic Library Publishing
Copyright 1995
Pages: 32
Reading Level: 8-12
Genre: Non-Fiction
Summary:
The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 8, 1776. The colonists realized that they couldn't fight for rights as Englishmen any more and had to become a new and independent country. At first, the colonies were able to work together because of the war, but after they won, they pretty much became thirteen different countries. The Articles of Confederation were limited by the rights and powers of each state. Many things happened during the Confederation, but the national government had little power. Each state minted it's own coin and didn't always accept the coin of other states as payment. Shay's Rebellion showed the country that the government needed to be stronger. A convention was called to fix the Articles of Confederation. This convention ended up writing a new constitution. Madison earned the title of father of the constitution because of all the work he put into it. Washington came out of retirement to work on the constitution, and Benjamin Franklin worked on it even though he was eighty one.
Washington was elected president on the meeting and sat on a chair with half a sun on it. At the end of the convention, Franklin stated that he had wondered if the sun was setting or rising, but he now knew that it was rising on the new nation. During the convention one major issue was how each state was to be represented. It ended in what we have in article one of the Constitution. Each state gets two senators and the number people in the House of Representatives would reflect the population in the state. Article two deals with the executive branch, or the president. Article three deals with the supreme court. Article four deals with the relationship between every state. Article five is how to change the constitution. Article six the new government will pay the country's debts. Article seven stated when the Constitution would become law.
The government was formed, it just needed the support of the people and received enough support that in July of 1788, it became the Constitution of the United States of America. It had the ten amendments added on by June of the following year (which became known as the Bill of Rights). The  Constitution was set up so that it could withstand the test of time and adjust to the needs of the people.
Recommendations and Conflicts:
I would recommend this book to fourth graders because the words and concepts would be challenging for third graders. I don't see any possible conflicts in this book.
Reaction:
I enjoyed this book because it broke down the constitution in words that were easy to understand. The pictures in this book are interesting because they are all blue, black, and white.