That all men are by nature equally free and independent, and have certain inherent rights, of which,when they enter into a state of society, they cannot by any compact deprive or divest their posterity;namely the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.

Here in a single volume are the two most important American documents ever written--the promise and fulfillment of representative government.With a luminous introduction by America's premier scholar of the American Revolution, Pauline Maier, this Bantam Classic edition contains the entire text of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States, as well as the Bill of Rights and successive constitutional amendments.

INTRODUCTION BY PAULINE MAIER

NOTES TO THE INTRODUCTION

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES

THE AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

DATES TO REMEMBER

INDEX