A gripping account of the Founding Fathers' dramatic-and often violent- struggle to
ratify the Constitution and give birth to the nation
America's Second Revolution recounts the drama, passions, and patriotic fervor behind one of the most crucial-and least known-political conflicts in American history. Award-winning author Harlow Giles Unger delves into neglected documents, diaries, and other primary sources to reveal the intense battle between George Washington's Federalists and
Patrick Henry's diehard defenders of
states' rights that determined the future of the country.
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Background Information
The Constitutional Convention produced the document but the Constitution did not take effect until ratified by two-thirds of the states, and the process continued until Rhode Island agreed in 1790. Patrick Henry of Virginia gave several speeches during the American Revolution which are remembered even today. The dividing line between the powers of the federal government, designated by the Constitution, and those reserved for the states has long been controversial.
