Paul Moreno of Hillsdale College provides these eight chapters, which are a concise history of the American constitution for teachers of American history. This work is based upon several assumptions. The first is that understanding the American constitution is essential to understanding American history. Unlike any other nation in the world, America is defined by its adherence to certain political principles, rather than by our descent, religion, or even language and history. The nation's founding documents -- the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution primarily -- express these principles.