To Form a More Perfect Union

This is a quantitative reexamination of the behavior of the Founding Fathers during the creation of the United States'' Constitution. It employs cliometric analysis formal economic analysis and modern statistical techniques to explain the choices the founders made during the drafting and ratification of the Constitution. These include: What form of government did the founders intend for the Constitution? What factors motivated them to adopt particular clauses in the Constitution? What factors led them to ratify the Constitution? The author argues that the findings challenge the prevailing interpretation of the formation of the Constitution.