The 17 essays included in this book are designed to provide educators and other interested readers with contemporary perspectives on a broad range of themes and topics concerning the U.S. Constitution. The authors are a distinguished group of historians, political scientists, legal scholars, and jurists. The essays include: "The Achievement of the Constitution as Viewed by the Leading Federalists" (Thomas L. Pangle); "The Contributions of the States to American Constitutionalism" (George Dargo); "The Drafting of the Constitution" (Margaret Pace Duckett); "The Senate the Framers Created and Its Legacy Today" (Richard A. Baker); "The First Federal Congress" (Charlene N. Bickford); "The Confirmation Process and the Separation of Powers" (Hon. Patti B. Saris); "The Article III Judiciary--The Ideal and the Reality" (Hon. Kenneth F. Ripple); "Focal Themes and Issues for Teaching about the Federal Judiciary" (Kent Newmyer); "The Work of the Supreme Court and Sources of Information about It" (Jeffrey Morris); "The Institution of the Presidency under Article II" (Thomas E. Cronin); "The Constitution and the Conduct of Foreign Affairs" (David. G. Adler); "Does the Constitution Matter to the Presidency Today?" (Nancy Kassop); "Ratifying the Constitution: The State Context" (John P. Kaminski); "The Debate over Ratification in Virginia" (Richard R. Beerman); "The Debate over Ratification in New York" (Stephen L. Schechter); "The Constitution: A Political Document with an Ambitious Legacy" (James A. Henretta); and "Women and the Constitution: The Equal Rights Amendment" (Winifred Wandersee). (DB)