The U.S. Constitution ratified in 1788, serves as the supreme law of the United States, outlining the structure of the federal government and safeguarding fundamental rights. Its framework establishes a system of checks and balances among three branches—executive, legislative, and judicial—ensuring no single branch becomes too powerful. The Constitution's Bill of Rights, added in 1791, guarantees individual liberties such as freedom of speech, religion, and assembly. Enduring as a beacon of democracy, the Constitution adapts to societal changes through amendments while maintaining the principles of justice, equality, and the rule of law, shaping the course of American governance and identity.
The U.S. Constitution Primary Source Subject Guide offers a curated selection of original documents, debates, and analyses surrounding the creation and interpretation of the foundational law of the United States. Through primary sources such as the Federalist Papers, congressional records, and Supreme Court decisions, readers explore the Constitution's historical context, principles, and ongoing significance in shaping American governance.
Secret proceedings and debates of the Convention assembled at Philadelphia, in the year 1787, for the purpose of forming the Constitution of the United States of America from the notes taken by the late Robert Yates, Esq. Chief Justice of New-York, and co by Papers on the Constitution
George Washington's contributions to American constitutionalism / Don Higginbotham -- Madison's career peak: the Federal Convention of 1787 / Robert A. Rutland -- Charles Beard revisited: the Revolutionary debt and the Federal Constitution / Richard Buel -- America and the creation of the Revolutionary intellectual world of the Enlightenment / Jack P. Greene -- The Constitutions and the citizen-soldier / Allan R. Millet -- A question of sovereignty: the militia in Anglo-American constitutional debate, 1641-1827 / Lawrence Delbert Cress -- The Constitution and the citizen: the question of civilian control / William A Stofft -- The Constitution today and tomorrow / A.E. Dick Howard.
Declaring Rights by
Ideal for introducing students to the conception and development of the Bill of Rights, this concise volume examines the Federalists' and Anti-Federalists' struggle over amending the Constitution while highlighting the relevance their debates have for modern-day issues. Rakove's lively narrative begins with a study of American roots in English common law, examines the heated discourse and thoughtful deliberation of the founders, and culminates with a close look at the evolution of rights distinctly American. Interspersed throughout are 25 primary documents - including letters, declarations, newspaper editorials, and debates - that embody and contextualize the issues. Also included are extensive gloss notes, a chronology, questions for consideration, a bibliography, and an index.
We Have Not a Government by
In 1783, as the Revolutionary War came to a close, Alexander Hamilton resigned in disgust from the Continental Congress after it refused to consider a fundamental reform of the Articles of Confederation. Just four years later, that same government collapsed, and Congress grudgingly agreed to support the 1787 Philadelphia Constitutional Convention, which altered the Articles beyond recognition. What occurred during this remarkably brief interval to cause the Confederation to lose public confidence and inspire Americans to replace it with a dramatically more flexible and powerful government? We Have Not a Government is the story of this contentious moment in American history. In George William Van Cleve's book, we encounter a sharply divided America. The Confederation faced massive war debts with virtually no authority to compel its members to pay them. It experienced punishing trade restrictions and strong resistance to American territorial expansion from powerful European governments. Bitter sectional divisions that deadlocked the Continental Congress arose from exploding western settlement. And a deep, long-lasting recession led to sharp controversies and social unrest across the country amid roiling debates over greatly increased taxes, debt relief, and paper money. Van Cleve shows how these remarkable stresses transformed the Confederation into a stalemate government and eventually led previously conflicting states, sections, and interest groups to advocate for a union powerful enough to govern a continental empire. Touching on the stories of a wide-ranging cast of characters--including John Adams, Patrick Henry, Daniel Shays, George Washington, and Thayendanegea--Van Cleve makes clear that it was the Confederation's failures that created a political crisis and led to the 1787 Constitution. Clearly argued and superbly written, We Have Not a Government is a must-read history of this crucial period in our nation's early life.
The Constitution in Congress: the Federalist Period, 1789-1801 by
In the most thorough examination to date, David P. Currie analyzes from a legal perspective the work of the first six congresses and of the executive branch during the Federalist era, with a view to its significance for constitutional interpretation. He concludes that the original understanding of the Constitution was forged not so much in the courts as in the legislative and executive branches, an argument of crucial importance for scholars in constitutional law, history, and government. "A joy to read."--Appellate Practive Journal and Update "[A] patient and exemplary analysis of the work of the first six Congresses."--Geoffrey Marshall, Times Literary Supplement
The Federalist Papers by
This authoritative edition of the complete texts of the Federalist Papers, the Articles of Confederation, the U.S. Constitution, and the Amendments to the U.S. Constitution features supporting essays in which leading scholars provide historical context and analysis. An introduction by Ian Shapiro offers an overview of the publication of the Federalist Papers and their importance. In three additional essays, John Dunn explores the composition of the Federalist Papers and the conflicting agendas of its authors; Eileen Hunt Botting explains how early advocates of women's rights, most prominently Mercy Otis Warren, Judith Sargent Murray, and Charles Brockden Brown, responded to the Federalist-Antifederalist debates; and Donald Horowitz discusses the Federalist Papers from the perspective of recent experiments with democracy and constitution-making around the world. These essays both illuminate the original texts and encourage active engagement with them.
The Complete Anti-Federalist by
v. 1. What the anti-Federalists were for.--v. 2. Objections of non-signers of the Constitution and major series of essays at the outset.--v. 3. Pennsylvania.--v. 4. Massachusetts and New England.--v. 5. Maryland and Virginia and the South.--v. 6. New York and conclusion.--v. 7. Index.
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