America's Constitution: A Biography

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America's Constitution: A Biography

In Americaâ€™s Constitution, one of this eraâ€™s most accomplished constitutional law scholars, Akhil Reed Amar, gives the first comprehensive account of one of the worldâ€™s great political texts. Incisive, entertaining, and occasionally controversial, this â€œbiographyâ€ of Americaâ€™s framing document explains not only what the Constitution says but also why the Constitution says it.

We all know this much: the Constitution is neither immutable nor perfect. Amar shows us how the story of this one relatively compact document reflects the story of America more generally. (For example, much of the Constitution, including the glorious-sounding â€œWe the People,â€ was lifted from existing American legal texts, including early state constitutions.) In short, the Constitution was as much a product of its environment as it was a product of its individual creatorsâ€™ inspired genius.

Despite the Constitutionâ€™s flaws, its role in guiding our republic has been nothing short of amazing. Skillfully placing the document in the context of late-eighteenth-century American politics, Americaâ€™s Constitution explains, for instance, whether there is anything in the Constitution that is unamendable; the reason America adopted an electoral college; why a president must be at least thirty-five years old; and whyâ€“for now, at leastâ€“only those citizens who were born under the American flag can become president.

From his unique perspective, Amar also gives us unconventional wisdom about the Constitution and its significance throughout the nationâ€™s history. For one thing, we see that the Constitution has been far more democratic than is conventionally understood. Even though the document was drafted by white landholders, a remarkably large number of citizens (by the standards of 1787) were allowed to vote up or down on it, and the documentâ€™s later amendments eventually extended the vote to virtually all Americans.

We also learn that the Foundersâ€™ Constitution was far more slavocratic than many would acknowledge: the â€œthree fifthsâ€ clause gave the South extra political clout for every slave it owned or acquired. As a result, slaveholding Virginians held the presidency all but four of the Republicâ€™s first thirty-six years, and proslavery forces eventually came to dominate much of the federal government prior to Lincolnâ€™s election.

Ambitious, even-handed, eminently accessible, and often surprising, Americaâ€™s Constitution is an indispensable work, bound to become a standard reference for any student of history and all citizens of the United States.
Country USA
Brand Random House Trade Paperbacks
Manufacturer Random House
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber 9780812972726
ReleaseDate 2006-09-12
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780812972726

Country	USA
Brand	Random House Trade Paperbacks
Manufacturer	Random House
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	9780812972726
ReleaseDate	2006-09-12
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780812972726

America's Constitution: A Biography

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