The creation of the constitution : opposing viewpoints / William Dudley, book editor.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 298-304) and index.

America under the Articles of Confederation is in crisis / Benjamin Rush -- America under the Articles of Confederation is not in crisis / Melancton Smith -- The national government should be granted direct powers over the states / James Madison -- State governments should not be supplanted by the national government / "Z" -- Shays's Rebellion indicates the need for a new Constitution / George Washington -- The threat posed by Shays's Rebellion has been exaggerated / Thomas Jefferson -- A new national government should be established (The Virginia Plan) / Edmund Randolph -- The Convention lacks the authority to establish a new national government / Robert Yates and John Lansing -- The Articles of Confederation should be revised (The New Jersey Plan) / William Paterson -- Revising the Articles of Confederation will accomplish little / James Madison -- A new national government should emulate the British system / Alexander Hamilton -- The United States should create its own system of government / Charles Pinckney -- A republic must be small and uniform to survive / "Brutus" -- A viable republic can be large and diverse / James Madison -- Checks and balances can assure a republican form of government / James Madison -- Checks and balances cannot assure a republican form of government / Samuel Bryan -- The people are not adequately represented by Congress in the Constitution / Melancton Smith -- The people are adequately represented by Congress in the Constitution / Alexander Hamilton -- The Constitution should prohibit the slave trade / Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery -- Continuing the slave trade was a necessary compromise / James Wilson -- The executive should be one person / Alexander Hamilton -- The executive should be a committee / George Mason --The Constitution may create a monarchy / "Cato" -- The Constitution does not create a monarchy / Tenche Coxe -- The Constitution should be accepted in a spirit of compromise / Benjamin Franklin -- Principles of liberty should not be compromised by accepting the Constitution / "Z" -- A list of objections to the Constitution / "An officer of the late Continental Army" -- A rebuttal to the objections to the Constitution / "Plain Truth" -- The Constitution benefits the elite / Amos Singletary -- The Constitution will benefit all the people / Jonathan Smith -- The Constitution should be ratified with suggested future amendments / Samuel Adams and the Massachusetts Ratifying Convention -- The proposed Constitution should not be ratified / Mercy Otis Warren -- A Bill of Rights is necessary for ratification / Patrick Henry -- A Bill of Rights is not necessary for ratification / Edmund Randolph -- The Constitution was created by the genius of the Framers / Clinton Rossiter -- The Constitution was created by the genius of the American people / Alfred F. Young.

This book discusses the division, debates, and disagreements that went on during the creation of the constitution.