Published to commemorate the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, this volume represents a unique combination of scholarship in the areas of political thought and political history. The papers collected herein examine the founding of the Republic from both perspectives, analyzing its intellectual sources within Western thought, its political context, and the complex relationships between the two. Written by a distinguished group of political scientists and historians that includes two Pulitzer Prize winners, the essays vividly portray the statesmanship of the Founding Fathers and the continuing impact of their legacy, the Constitution.