Essential reading for Constitutional origins study?

[Thomas Paine]

I'm an armchair economist, evolutionary psychologist, religion historian, etc, etc, etc. (oh forgot gunsmith, steam boiler technician among others)

I'm an avid reader and collect important non-fiction books. (antique books are super cheap right now due to those goddarn kindle things. man, i feel old at 32.)

Anyway, i've read Smith, Tocqueville, Paine, some Jefferson, lots of Revolutionary War stuff, but i'd like to get into Constitutional Origins and the resulting commentary by Founding Fathers.

What's essential reading for studying this time period?

So far i guess it's
Federalist Papers
Anti-Federalist Papers
Constitutional Convention - Madison

What else? Help me out.

Thx-

[TaePo]

I used this cite in a powerpoint presentation:

Patrick, J. J. (2003). The Bill of Rights: A History in Documents. Oxford University Press.

IIRC, it was also a good read. There is also another older author whose name escapes me right now. One of our legal eagles probably knows.

It is not Blackstone though he is mentioned a lot; the person's name starts with J, but can't recall if first or last name. Damned memory. Anyway, that person wrote a lot on our form of government (purpose of government or state of politics and individuals etc.). If I find it, I will post it.

ETA = (I should say that his message was borrowed and influenced the formation of our government.)

ETA = John Locke. (work of political philosophy published anonymously in 1689 by John Locke.)

Wiki has a good general article regarding Lockes work:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Tre..._of_Government

[hawk87]

The Online Library of Liberty:

http://oll.libertyfund.org/

TONS of free books, that you can download to your favorite e-reader. You'll never run out of things to read.

A few others I like:

Liberty's Blueprint by Michael I. Meyerson

James Madison and the Struggle for the Bill of Rights by Richard Labunski

Decision in Philadelphia: The Constitutional Convention of 1787 by Christopher Collier