the federalist papers

     If you just can't stand to listen to people arguing about the "original intent" of the framers of the United States Constitution, you might try reading The Federalist Papers.  It's quite an undertaking, but you might find it worthwhile. The original papers were written as letters to the editor, and published in the newspaper, while the constitution was still being written and discussed. Ordinary citizens could read in the newspaper the arguments for each decision made, and why some alternatives were rejected. If you are interested in a particular article or amendment, you can use the book's index to "search" for it, instead of reading the entire book.