Recognition of the U.S. Constitution's importance increased dramatically in 1826 due to the deaths of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the election of President Andrew Jackson and the jubilee celebration of the Declaration of Independence. At this time, a period when public schools were increasing in number, educators responded with coursework that promoted the virtues of the Constitution to the nation's youth. Arthur J. Stansbury, a Presbyterian minister known for his political speeches, wrote one of the most popular textbooks used in the schools. Cast in the form of questions and answers in...