Historians have engaged in a prolonged debate, that perhaps defies resolution, over the making of the Constitution. Were the framers enlightened, disinterested statesmen seeking to rescue a nation then drifting dangerously toward anarchy? Were they conspiratorial representatives of a rising financial and industrial capitalism? Was the Constitution primarily an economic or a political document? This collection of essays, by such renowned scholars as Charles Beard, Andrew C. McLaughlin, and John P. Roche, addresses the myriad questions that surround the creation of the principal document of the American governmental system. With a revised introduction and conclusion, the second edition is an indispensable and timely tool for courses in American government and constitutional history.