The successful creation of the Constitution is a suspense story. This book takes us into the sweltering room in which delegates struggled for four months to produce the flawed but enduring document that would define the nation. George Washington presided, James Madison kept the notes, Benjamin Franklin offered wisdom and humor at crucial times. At different points, more than half of the delegates threatened to walk out, and some actually did. It was...

With eloquence equal to Jefferson and Tom Paine, Adams helped ignite the flame of liberty and made sure it glowed even during the Revolution's darkest hours. He was, as Jefferson later observed, "truly the man of the Revolution." Adams played a pivotal role not fully appreciated until now in the events leading up to the confrontation with the British. Believing that God willed a free American nation, he was among the first to call for independence....