During the secret proceedings of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, the framers created a fundamentally new national plan to replace the Articles of Confederation and then submitted it to conventions in each state for ratification. The proposal was immediately greeted by a fierce storm of argument. Gathering hundreds of original texts by Franklin, Madison, Jefferson, Washington, and Patrick Henry—as well as many others less well known today, this unrivaled collection allows readers to experience firsthand the intense year-long struggle that created what remains the world’s oldest working national charter.

Here in full are the essential Federalist Papers by Madison and Hamilton in their original dramatic context; the case against the new constitution by Virginian George Mason; and the crucial compromise forged by John Hancock and Samuel Adams in Massachusetts. The set also includes complete texts of the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and Constitution (with all amendments); detailed biographical profiles of all authors; informative notes; and a full historical chronology.

See the contents for this set (PDF)

Each volume is also available separately, in print and e-book editions.

Bernard Bailyn (1922–2020), editor, was Adams University Professor and James Duncan Phillips Professor of Early American History at Harvard University and a Pulitzer Prize–winning author of numerous books, including The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution, Voyagers to the West, and Atlantic History: Concept and Contours. In 2010 he was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Barack Obama.

Each Library of America series volume is printed on acid-free paper and features Smyth-sewn binding, a full cloth cover, and a ribbon marker.

Project support for this volume was provided by: The Lynde & Harry Bradley Foundation.

The Debate on the Constitution: Part One is kept in print by a gift from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to the Guardians of American Letters Fund, in honor of John C. Whitehead.

The Debate on the Constitution: Part Two is kept in print by a gift from Mr. & Mrs. Thomas W. Smith to the Guardians of American Letters Fund.