NF

* This book is a break up of the U.S. constitution. It starts with the preamble and how it came to be.
* White representative upset because many black people were being lynched by white men with no justification, or repercussions. Democrats in southern states denounced the bill because they wanted to handle the crimes themselves as a state. Later people tried to get more bills passed because Mexican-Americans were also being lynched. To this day there is no law against lynching in the U.S. but in 2005 the senate apologized for the lynching that happened in history..
* Leezia Dhalla came to America from Canada when she was 6 years old. After applying for a job as a journalist and trying to get a work visa, she was soon to be deported and found out her family lied about their documentation for many years. The DREAM act was her only hope to stay and work in America, but it was not passed due to people in the senate. People in the senate were afraid that the bill would give amnesty to criminals.
* People are upset with the constitution and how hard it is to change laws and bills, but when the constitution was written, they couldn't have foreseen what America looks like today.

Informational, historical
* It’s perfect for middle schoolers because in 5th grade they are more introduced to U.S. history
* When they talked about changing the Constitution I thought about the people who made it could not have even thought about the problems we have in the world today.

An engaging analysis of our Constitution, divided into chapters that detail events surrounding its creation and the ways in which decisions made at the Constitutional Convention impact issues of rights and governance today. Includes Timeline, Notes, Bibliography, Articles and Amendments, Index

This book is intended for teenagers, but I think it's a great and accessible read for anyone, even people with a solid understanding of civics and how our government works (which it seems like depressingly few people have). Each chapter addresses a topic by starting with how things are, then how and why it was included that way in the consititution, then other ways the same issue is addressed by states or other countries. It's filled with useful infographics and examples. ( )