From war powers to health care, freedom of speech to gun ownership, religious liberty to abortion, practically every aspect of American life is shaped by the Constitution. This vital document, along with its history of political and judicial interpretation, governs our individual lives and the life of our nation. Yet most of us know surprisingly little about the Constitution itself, and are woefully unprepared to think for ourselves about recent developments in its long and storied history. The Constitution: An Introduction is the definitive modern primer on the US Constitution. Michael Stokes Paulsen, one of the nation's most provocative and accomplished scholars of the Constitution, and his son Luke Paulsen, a gifted young writer and lay scholar, have combined to write a lively introduction to the supreme law of the United States, covering the Constitution's history and meaning in clear, accessible terms. Beginning with the Constitution's birth in 1787, Paulsen and Paulsen offer a grand tour of its provisions, principles, and interpretation, introducing readers to the characters and controversies that have shaped the Constitution in the 200-plus years since its creation. Along the way, the authors provide correctives to the shallow myths and partial truths that pervade so much popular treatment of the Constitution, from school textbooks to media accounts of today's controversies, and offer powerful insights into the Constitution's true meaning. A lucid and engaging guide, The Constitution: An Introduction provides readers with the tools to think critically and independently about constitutional issues—a skill that is ever more essential to the continued flourishing of American democracy.
"I don't think there is anyone in the academy these days capable of more patient and attentive reading of the constitutional text than Akhil Amar.
Go behind the scenes at the Constitutional Convention, thanks to award-winning author Jean Fritz's words! This factual gem that's written with Newbery Honor author Jean Fritz's humorous touch chronicles...
With a luminous introduction by America's premier scholar of the American Revolution, Pauline Maier, this Bantam Classic edition contains the entire text of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States, as well ...
Such a watershed moment would present great danger, and for some, great power. In this important book, Feingold and Prindiville distill extensive legal and historical research and examine the grave risks inherent in this effort.
The states, for Hamilton, were a useless excrescence. The cost of a national government would be acceptable “if it eventuates in an extinction of state government,” though states might be useful if “reduced to corporations, ...
Black , Hugo L. , 213 , 214 , 216–217 , 237 238 , 251 , 263 , 285 , 287 , 295-296 , 307 Black , Lloyd J. , 385 n . 48 Block managers , 131 Bloom , Leonard , 361 n . ... 38 Burlingame , Roger , 344 n . 168 Burnett , Peter H. , 15 Burton ...
In that year's presidential race, a challenge for Republicans was that their candidate, President George W. Bush, had safely sat out the Vietnam War in the Texas Air National Guard, whereas his opponent, Senator John Kerry, ...
This book provides a brief intellectual and constitutional history of the Article V amending process from the Imperial Crisis until the present and shows Article V to be a vital part of the Constitutional architecture.
But do you know what the U.S. Constitution actually says? This accessible guide contains the complete text of the Constitution, with short, descriptive margin notes throughout.
Drawing from a vast range of sources both well known and obscure, this volume reconstructs the powers and duties of the nation's chief executive at the Constitution's founding.