The inaugural volume in the series, "Constitutional Documents and Records 1776-1787 "is an introduction to the issues that underlie the ratification struggle that followed. Some of the men who debated the ratification of the Constitution had been debating issues of balance of power between a central government and state or colonial governments since the beginning of the disputes that led to the Declaration of Independence. The continuity of men and issues is illustrated in the documents contained in the volume, and provide an essential background to the Constitution.