In this anthology, the author asks two questions: 1) What is the meaning and what has been the impact of "We the people" in view of the fact that women and African Americans have only recently acquired voting rights? 2) What are the documents that make America's type of democracy possible? The anthology contains the actual documents themselves, and when, how, and why they came into existence. It begins with the Mayflower Compact" and ends with the "Promissory Note" -- a document least known for its title but universally known for its content. Finally, the anthology serves as a book of references of first source material to be interpreted by each reader.