America had won the Revolution, but our troubles were far from over. The
thirteen states were squabbling, the country could not pay its bills,
and in Massachusetts farmers had taken up arms against the government.
Was our country, which had fought so hard for its independence, going to
survive? In May 1787 delegates from across the country -- including
George Washington, James Madison, and Benjamin Franklin -- gathered in
Philadelphia and, meeting over the course of a sweltering summer,
created a new framework for governing: the Constitution of the United
States. Their efforts turned a shaky alliance of states into a nation
that would prosper and grow powerful, drawing its strength for centuries
to come from "We the people" and inspiring hope for freedom around the
world.