for the writing of the constitution, unser, for the writing of a constitution by a small group of gifted statesman is not as novel and undertaking as we often think. the polish parliament wrote one in 1505 for example, which lasted nearly 300 years. what is novel, and to be extraordinary is that such a document be subject to democratic consent on a continent wide scale. so-called miracle of philadelphia is less miraculous than the miracle that ensued across several states in that year. what is more, because it is a ratifying and not the writing which made our constitution the law of the land, in a certain sense it is far more important to understand what the ratifiers thought they were consenting to than what the drafters were intending in their writing. that crucial decision is almost universally overlooked by those seeking to discern the constitution's original consent. thanks to professor maier's work with our now in a much better position to understand our constitution, and so to understand ourselves. "ratification" is a tour de force bringing vividly to life numerous personalities o