¹     "Jeremy," shouted Thomas, "what's going on?"
 
²     "They're fighting again," called Jeremy from across the street.
 
³     "What about this time?" Thomas asked.
 
⁴     "Who knows," Jeremy yelled back.
 
⁵     It was hot that summer of 1787. The bugs were awful. There was something big going on in Philadelphia. Many great men were meeting there that summer.
 
⁶     Thomas had heard his father talking about the meeting. General George Washington was there. Four big, strong men carried a chair to the meeting. Sitting in the chair was Benjamin Franklin. James Madison went to every meeting. Thomas's father said they were writing a constitution.
 
⁷     Thomas asked his father about it. His father explained this way. "We are a brand new country. Our citizens fought England for our freedom. Now we must make a set of rules to live by. Everyone needs rules. These men want to make that set of rules."
 
⁸     "Why do they yell at each other so much?" asked Thomas.
 
⁹     "They all think they know what is best for the country," answered father. "They all want to do what is right."

Paragraphs 10 to 18:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable