Dale Dungan Pullen was born in Miami, FL, and attended public schools there. He graduated from Duke University and the University of Florida Law School, and served three years in the Air Force. He worked as a reporter and editor, including as a Washington correspondent for Florida newspapers, and was a recipient of the National Political Science Association Congressional Fellowship. He later served as a congressional liaison for the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Education. Along with his wife Barbara, he created and published The U.S. Congress Handbook. He has two children and two grandchildren.

The author was motivated by the concern that teaching of the U.S. Constitution needs to be improved due to reported student and citizen lack of basic subject knowledge. He wrote the book to strengthen public understanding of the Constitution’s creation through debate, compromise, and practical decision-making rather than idealized notions, to address public concerns, support Constitution Day instruction in schools, and to highlight James Madison’s central role in its development, ultimately encouraging more informed citizenship.