The war for independence is long since over. And yet America is dying. The states are still sharply divided over the issue of a central government. The men who fought together against the British must now learn to work together to build a new nation, built on the foundation of individual liberty.
But what kind of country should America be? And who should hold the power? James Madison calls for a gathering of representatives from each state to convene in Philadelphia to settle the matter once and for all. During the hot months of hte summer of 1787, fifty-five of America's best and brightest men, including Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, lock themselves ina room and begin the task. When it becomes obvious that the Articles of Confederation are useless, they are quickly scrapped in favor of...what? Their deliberations lead them to the design of a government so revolutionary that nothing like it had ever been conceived--a system of government so bold that the delegates have difficulty getting their minds around it. Debates rage endlessly. Proposals are submitted and defeated. Pitted against each other, the interests of the large and small states collide. Threats of secession are thrown about, and more than once the fate of the United States hinges on one cote or a single decision.
Not all battles are fought behind colsed doors, though, and Caleb Dunson finds himself on the rough waters of the Caribbean, battling pirates and the British navy to rescue his brother Adam and the crew of a ship belonging to the Dunson & Weems Shipping Company.
Filled with political intrique and high-seas action, A More Perfect Union follows the Dunson and Weems families and other familiar figures, both fictional and historical, as they participate in the events that culminated in hte creation of the Constitution of the United States of America. A document that would forever change the world [book jacket].