Sept. 17 is U.S. Constitution Day (observed Sept. 16 in 2017). This display highlights Constitutional history and past and current issues involving the Constitution. There are also some pocket Constitutions free to take (first come first serve).
The Classical Foundations of the American Constitution by
The framers of the American Constitution were substantially influenced by ancient history and classical political theory, as exemplified by their education, the availability of classical readings, and their inculcation in classical republican values. This volume explores how the framing generation deployed classical learning to develop many of the essential structural aspects of the Constitution: federalism, separation of powers, a bicameral legislature, independent courts, and the war and foreign relations powers. Also examined are very contemporary constitutional debates, for which there were classical inspirations, including sovereign immunity, executive privilege, line-item vetoes, and the electoral college. Combining techniques of intellectual history, classical studies, and constitutional interpretation, this book makes a unique contribution to our understanding of contemporary constitutionalism.
ISBN: 9780521885362Publication Date: 2008-02-11
Colonial Origins of the American Constitution by
"Local government in colonial America was the seedbed of American constitutionalism." So begins the introductory essay to this landmark collection of eighty documents created by the American colonists—and not English officials—that are the genesis of American fundamental law and constitutionalism. Most of these documents, commencing with the Agreement of the Settlers at Exeter in New Hampshire, July 5, 1639, and concluding with Joseph Galloway's Plan of Union, 1774—"the immediate precursor to the Articles of Confederation"—have never before been accessible to the general reader or available in a single volume. As Professor Lutz points out, the documents are chosen to make possible "a careful examination of [the American] people's attempt at self-interpretation." All of the principal colonial documents are included, as are all documents attempting to unite the colonies, beginning with the New England Confederation of 1643. Bicameralism, popular sovereignty, the separation of powers, checks and balances, limited government, and religious freedom—in sum, the hallmarks of American constitutionalism—were first presented to the world in these writings. Donald S. Lutz is Professor of Political Science at the University of Houston.
ISBN: 0865971560Publication Date: 2010-02-12
The Complete Bill of Rights by
The fundamental, inalienable rights and privileges set forth in the Bill of Rights represent the very foundations of American liberty. The Complete Bill of Rights is a documentary record of the process by which these rights and privileges were defined and recorded as law. Neil H. Cogan incorporates all pertinent materials from the debate on the ratification of the Bill of Rights. Arranged in chronological order, the work presents each clause in its finished form, and traces its development from its origins. Cogan presents every draft of the text and every documentary source, including state convention proposals, state, colonial, and English constitutional texts, sources in caselaw and treatises. He includes data from diaries and correspondence, pamphlets and newspapers, as well as the Congressional debates. He publishes, for the first time, each version of the drafts from the manuscript collections of the National Archives and Library of Congress. The result is the most detailed and useful record of the debate over the Bill of Rights available. Including the correspondence of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and John Adams among many others who debated the issues that the Supreme Court considers law today, The Complete Bill of Rights is the first and only comprehensive collection of texts essential to understanding the Bill of Rights. Organized in an accessible and practical manner, it is an invaluable tool for law students, judges, lawyers, and law clerks, as well as scholars of the law, history, and political science.
ISBN: 019510322xPublication Date: 1997-10-16
We the People by
In this, the first of three volumes, Bruce Ackerman offers a reinterpretation of the USA's constitutional experience and its promise for the future. Integrating themes from American history, political science, and philosophy, We are the People confronts the past, present and future of popular sovereignty in America.
ISBN: 0674948408Publication Date: 1991-10-01
We the People by
This text argues that constitutional change, seemingly so orderly, formal, and refined, has in fact been a revolutionary process from the first. The Founding Fathers not being the genteel conservatives of myth, set America on a course of revolutionary disruption and constitutional creativity that endures at the close of the millennium. Citing examples like the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, the Great Depression and the New Dealers the author shows how the constitution was changed by these events.
ISBN: 0674948475Publication Date: 1998-04-12
Global Perspectives on Constitutional Law by
An ideal supplement for professors who wish to incorporate comparative law into their constitutional law courses, Global Perspectives on Constitutional Law introduces students to the various ways that nations other than the United States resolve contemporary constitutional questions. Covering both structural issues and individual rights, the book offers a wide but select range of readings on interesting constitutional issues in sixteen accessible chapters. Each brief chapter presents foreign case materials on a particular constitutional topic along with notes and questions that further illuminate the comparisons between U.S. constitutional law and that of other nations. Featuring selections by expert contributors from a variety of ideological and demographic backgrounds, the volume is designed to encourage students to reexamine and deepen their understanding of U.S. constitutional law in light of the alternatives offered by other systems. Features *Modular design of chapters allows instructors to pick and choose which topics they use for comparative study *Brief chapters can be easily integrated into relevant class discussions *Chapters authored by top constitutional law scholars who frame the cases with introductory and concluding comments *Covers a broad range of contemporary constitutional issues including property rights, abortion rights, regulation of hate speech, regulation of campaign finance, and religious freedom
ISBN: 9780195328110Publication Date: 2008-11-10
Power and Rights in US Constitutional Law by
This book provides a coherent, readily accessible analysis of the tensions inherent in American constitutional law between the governing body and the governed. Combining extensive analysis with text from seminal Supreme Court decisions, each chapter examines different components of constitutional law. It has been updated to include the most current legislative and Supreme Court decisions affecting constitutional law. Part One examines the structure of the federal government of the United States, focusing on the core principles of separation of powers and federalism. Part Two presents an overview of the constitutional rights of U.S. citizens. For ease of understanding, these are divided into liberty and equality rights. A thorough review for students of constitutional law as well as a systematic reference for lawyers and scholars, Power & Rights in U.S. Constitutional Law is an invaluable guide to the delicate balance between governmental power and the constitutional rights of individual citizens.
ISBN: 9780195368727Publication Date: 2008-04-17- The Constitutional Thought of Thomas Jefferson by
In this comprehensive account of Thomas Jefferson's constitutional thought, David N. Mayer offers a fresh perspective on Jefferson's philosophy of government. Eschewing the "liberalism versus civic republicanism" debate that has so dominated early American scholarship in recent years, Mayer examines Jefferson's thought in Jefferson's own terms- as "whig," "federal," and "republican." In the interrelationships and tensions among these three essential aspects of Jefferson's theory, Mayer explaines Jefferson's response to the particular constitutional issues and problems of his time. In contrast to other studies that view Jefferson as a champion of democracy, Mayer's book emphasizes Jefferson's commitment to liberty and his distrust of government.
ISBN: 0813914841Publication Date: 1994-03-01
