To Rescue the Constitution

George Washington and the Fragile American Experiment (The Presidential Series) 

Instant New York Times Bestseller

#1 New York Times bestselling author Bret Baier reveals how George Washington saved the Constitution–and the American experiment

“To Rescue The Constitution is a masterful exploration of the electrifying struggle to unite a young United States.” —Jay Winik

A sweeping narrative ranges from the unsettled early American frontier and the battlefields of the Revolution. It also covers the history-making clashes within Philadelphia’s Independence Hall. Bret Baier’s To Rescue the Constitution dramatically illuminates the life of George Washington. He was the essential Founding Father. He did more than perhaps any other individual to secure the future of the United States.

George Washington rescued the nation three times. First, he led the Continental Army to victory in the Revolutionary War. Second, he presided over the Constitutional Convention that set the blueprint for the United States. He also ushered the Constitution through a fractious ratification process. Third, he led the nation as its first president. In this compelling work of American history, the struggling new nation needed to be rescued. Washington was the only American who could bring them together.

After the victorious War of Independence, the nation fractured. A spirit of unity and patriotism might have been expected. However, division took place instead. The states were no more than a loosely knit and contentious confederation, with no strong central union. The urgent need for nation building prompted the calling of a Constitutional Convention. This gathering was to meet in Philadelphia during the summer of 1787.

Setting aside his plan to retire to Mount Vernon, Washington agreed to be a delegate at Philadelphia. There he was unanimously elected president of the convention. Washington successfully brought the Constitution into being. He then sacrificed any hope of returning to private life. He accepted the unanimous election to be the nation’s first president. Washington was not known for brilliant oratory or prose. However, his quiet and steady leadership gave life to the Constitution. He demonstrated how it should be enacted.

In this vivid and moving portrait of early America’s struggles, Baier captures the critical moments that defined the nation. Washington’s leadership brought the nation back from the brink of collapse. Baier exposes an early America that is grittier and far more divided. This is a depiction often different from what is portrayed. We can see this division reflected in today’s conflicts.

This gripping work of narrative nonfiction reveals:

• A Leader Forged in War: Follow George Washington from the battlefields of the Revolution to the presidency, as he rescues the young nation not once, but three separate times.
• The Fight for the Constitution: Go inside Philadelphia’s Independence Hall for the history-making clashes and fractious debates that defined the Constitutional Convention and the future of the American experiment.
• The First Presidency: Discover how Washington’s quiet, steady leadership as the nation’s first president gave life to the Constitution, showing a fledgling country how its new government should be enacted.
• A Nation Divided: Uncover an early America that is grittier and far more divided than often portrayed—a searching look into our past that holds a mirror to the conflicts of today.