219 years ago you were given the right to practice the religion of your choice. 219 years ago you were given the right to say what you wanted without persecution. 219 years ago it was written that your house and property were secure from unreasonable search and seizure. 219 years ago you were given the right to a public trial. 219 years ago, fifty-five men you will never know sat in a sweltering hot room as they fought and argued for you. 219 years ago you were given your rights as a citizen of the United States.
This fall, as Americans return again to the ballot box to decide the course of their country’s congressional and state leadership, every student must understand where this all began all theway back to that room in Philadelphia.
The Constitution of The United States of America, inscribed and illustrated by the master calligrapher Sam Fink, brings to life the issues underlying the triumphs of this abiding document. Originally published in pen and ink for Random House in 1987, Sam has, at the request of Welcome Books, gone back to the original black-and-white art and painted it entirely, creating a full-color masterpiece. Each amendment, each article, each word so thoughtfully placed in the Constitution has been given Sam’s profound touch. With a powerful intelligence and a wonderful sense of humor, he has provided students with an entry point, allowing us to read this essential document better, more clearly.
Welcome Books is honored to present a full-color limited edition of Sam’s startling work as well as a trade edition, exquisitely designed and produced – matching in its manufacture the stunning quality of Sam’s ambition and the gravitas and significance of the original document.
The Constitution of The United States of America is the document that all Americans must read again and again. There is no more important document in for American citizens--it is the document they must have an intimate knowledge of and it is the document that they must never forget.
219 years ago, you were entrusted with a living document. Have you kept it safe?

 
Sam Fink has entertained and educated both adults and children with his vibrantly illustrated texts of American history for more than twenty years. Along with The Constitution of the United States of America, done in pen and ink for Random House in 1987, he has produced the Gettysburg Address, The Fifty Six Who Signed, and The Declaration of Independence: The Words That Made America. Before he turned to writing and illustration, Sam worked in an advertising firm where he was art director. At age 89, he is deep at work creating full color illustrations for the Book of Exodus.