Research Portfolio | History 

Maier generates new knowledge about the U.S. Constitution

In 1787-88, as Americans considered their proposed Constitution, they held the most consequential debate in U.S. history—addressing the nature of democracy, structure of government, and federal and state powers. Yet we know almost nothing about this formative debate.

In Ratification, historian Pauline Maier delivers the first comprehensive account of a national drama that continues to shape the country today.

The New York Times calls Ratification an "ur-text" of American politics.

"For those who seek judicious assessment, sober reflection, and masterful analysis of the debates that secured the Constitution, this book is an unsurpassable achievement."  

— Publishers Weekly