What is the Constitution?

We the people at Who HQ bring readers the full story - arguments and all - of how the US Constitution came into being.

Signed on September 17, 1787 - four years after the American War for Independence - the Constitution laid out the supreme law of the United States of America. Today it's easy for us to take this blueprint of our government for granted. But the Framers - 55 men from almost all of the original 13 states - argued fiercely for many months over what ended up being only a four-page document. Here is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the hotly fought issues - those between Northern and Southern States; big states and little ones - and the key players such as James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington, who suffered through countless revisions to make the Constitution happen.