Chapter 2 examines the long road from independence to the establishment of a durable constitutional government. The Declaration of Independence, adopted on July 4, 1776, proclaimed the colonies’ separation from Britain and asserted that unalienable rights—including Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness—are endowed by their Creator. Yet it would take more than a decade of struggle under the weak Articles of Confederation before the Constitutional Convention convened in Philadelphia in 1787. The Framers, meeting in secret over that sweltering summer, crafted a new Constitution, signed on September 17, 1787, and ratified by the required nine states by mid-1788. This chapter explores why the young nation needed a stronger federal framework, what lessons the Founders drew from history and human nature (including the perils of unchecked power and the need for virtue in self-government), and why they ultimately chose a constitutional republic—rather than pure democracy, monarchy, or other forms—as America’s system of government, one grounded in principles that secure ordered liberty and the pursuit of happiness. After reading Chapter 2 of God and America, review the outline of the U.S. Constitution provided and reflect on the study questions below.