Download or read book The Bill of Rights written by Carol Berkin and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2015-05-05 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Narrative, celebratory history at its purest” (Publishers Weekly)—the real story of how the Bill of Rights came to be: a vivid account of political strategy, big egos, and the partisan interests that set the terms of the ongoing contest between the federal government and the states. Those who argue that the Bill of Rights reflects the founding fathers’ “original intent” are wrong. The Bill of Rights was actually a brilliant political act executed by James Madison to preserve the Constitution, the federal government, and the latter’s authority over the states. In the skilled hands of award-winning historian Carol Berkin, the story of the founders’ fight over the Bill of Rights comes alive in a drama full of partisanship, clashing egos, and cunning manipulation. In 1789, the nation faced a great divide around a question still unanswered today: should broad power and authority reside in the federal government or should it reside in state governments? The Bill of Rights, from protecting religious freedom to the people’s right to bear arms, was a political ploy first and a matter of principle second. The truth of how and why Madison came to devise this plan, the debates it caused in the Congress, and its ultimate success is more engrossing than any of the myths that shroud our national beginnings. The debate over the Bill of Rights still continues through many Supreme Court decisions. By pulling back the curtain on the short-sighted and self-interested intentions of the founding fathers, Berkin reveals the anxiety many felt that the new federal government might not survive—and shows that the true “original intent” of the Bill of Rights was simply to oppose the Antifederalists who hoped to diminish the government’s powers. This book is “a highly readable American history lesson that provides a deeper understanding of the Bill of Rights, the fears that generated it, and the miracle of the amendments” (Kirkus Reviews).

Download or read book The Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution written by Merrill Jensen and published by . This book was released on 1976 with total page 396 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book America s Constitution written by Akhil Reed Amar and published by Random House. This book was released on 2012-02-29 with total page 672 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In America’s Constitution, one of this era’s most accomplished constitutional law scholars, Akhil Reed Amar, gives the first comprehensive account of one of the world’s great political texts. Incisive, entertaining, and occasionally controversial, this “biography” of America’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 “We the People,” 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 creators’ inspired genius. Despite the Constitution’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, America’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 why–for now, at least–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 nation’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 document’s later amendments eventually extended the vote to virtually all Americans. We also learn that the Founders’ Constitution was far more slavocratic than many would acknowledge: the “three fifths” 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 Republic’s first thirty-six years, and proslavery forces eventually came to dominate much of the federal government prior to Lincoln’s election. Ambitious, even-handed, eminently accessible, and often surprising, America’s Constitution is an indispensable work, bound to become a standard reference for any student of history and all citizens of the United States.

Download or read book The Bill of Rights written by Roberta Baxter and published by Capstone Classroom. This book was released on 2013 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explains the history of the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments of the U.S. Constitution.

Download or read book The Second Bill of Rights written by Cass R. Sunstein and published by Basic Books. This book was released on 2009-03-25 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 1944, Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave a State of the Union Address that was arguably the greatest political speech of the twentieth century. In it, Roosevelt grappled with the definition of security in a democracy, concluding that "unless there is security here at home, there cannot be lasting peace in the world." To help ensure that security, he proposed a "Second Bill of Rights" -- economic rights that he saw as necessary to political freedom. Many of the great legislative achievements of the past sixty years stem from Roosevelt's vision. Using this speech as a launching point, Cass R. Sunstein shows how these rights are vital to the continuing security of our nation. This is an ambitious, sweeping book that argues for a new vision of FDR, of constitutional history, and our current political scene.

Download or read book George Mason written by William G. Hyland and published by Regnery History. This book was released on 2019-05-07 with total page 527 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: George Mason was a short, bookish man who was a friend and neighbor of athletic, broad-shouldered George Washington. Unlike Washington, Mason has been virtually forgotton by history. But this new biography of forgotten patriot George Mason makes a convincing case that Mason belongs in the pantheon of honored Founding Fathers. Trained in the law, Mason was also a farmer, philosopher, botanist, and musician. He was one of the architects of the Declaration of Independence, an author of the Bill of Rights, and one of the strongest proponents of religious liberty in American history. In fact, both Thomas Jefferson and James Madison may have been given undue credit for George Mason's own contributions to American democracy.

Download or read book Creating the Bill of Rights written by Helen E. Veit and published by Johns Hopkins University Press. This book was released on 1991-02-01 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Aside from the declaration of Independence, with its ringing cries for liberty, no public document has become as sacred to the American people as the Bill of Rights-the first ten amendments to the federal Constitution. Protecting individual freedoms and safeguarding state authority, they officially went into effect on December 15, 1791. Two centuries later the Bill of Rights and its meaning remain lively topics-in the courts, in newspapers, and in classrooms. Creating the Bill of Rights documents the legislative history of the amendments and the sharp debates they produced in Congress. The volume shows how James Madison earned the title "Father of the Bill of Rights" while working with other members of the first Federal Congress to secure the gains of the Revolution and put republican theory into practice. It also includes all of the often-colorful letters that the Bill of Rights generated among members of Congress and their constituents. Taken together, these documents offer important lessons in the history of American liberty and vividly illustrate the divisions that beset the country in its formative years. Published as part of the bicentennial commemoration of the amendments' adoption, Creating the Bill of Rights collects original papers relating to the discussions and decisions that helped shape American civic life.

Download or read book The Bill of Rights written by Marcia Amidon Lusted and published by Pebble. This book was released on 2020 with total page 25 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Carefully leveled text coupled with primary-source images will encourage young readers to take a closer look at the U.S. Constitution's first ten Amendments, known as the Bill of Rights. Citizens of the newly independent United States proposed several freedoms, including speech, assembly, and worship--many of which are still recognized and honored today. Curriculum-based content and fact-filled sidebars help define these rights, while allowing readers to draw connections between the Bill of Rights and their daily lives.

Download or read book The Great Rights of Mankind written by Bernard Schwartz and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 1992 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Great Rights of Mankind follows the development of individual rights from the earliest English antecedents through their modern interpretations by the courts. It is arguably the single best short book written on the Bill of Rights.

Download or read book Declaring Rights written by Jack N. Rakove and published by Macmillan Higher Education. This book was released on 2018-12-05 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Questions about the original meaning of the Bill of Rights remain a source of active concern and controversy in the twenty-first century. In order to help students consider the intentions of the first Constitutional amendments and the significance of declaring rights, Jack Rakove traces the tradition and describes the deliberations from which the Bill of Rights emerged.

Download or read book The Birth of the Bill of Rights 1776 1791 written by Robert Allen Rutland and published by . This book was released on 1969 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Birth of the Bill of Rights Biographies written by Jon L. Wakelyn and published by Greenwood. This book was released on 2004 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Concise and informative biographical sketches of 140 of the most influential Antifederalists are complimented by nearly 100 of their complete and excerpted speeches, pamphlets, editorials, and letters. This two-volume set provides much hard-to-find information on the background of the Antifederalists and collects their scattered and neglected writings in an accessible and useful format. It will be critical for any Revolutionary, Constitutional, or Early American history collection. They lost even their name to their opponents. But while the Antifederalists lost the battle against Constitutional ratification, they won the war by getting the Bill of Rights into the Constitution as its first ten amendments. In restraining the national government's power and guaranteeing individual liberties, the Bill of Rights has come to dominate modern U.S. politics and law. Freedoms of religious belief, speech, the press, assembly, and the right to bear arms are encoded because of Antifederalist efforts. It is to these individuals that Americans owe the hallowed prohibition against unreasonable search and seizure, the right to due process, the right to trial by a jury composed of one's peers, the right to privacy, and more. One can even argue that it was the Antifederalists who instituted national obsession with rights talk. The first volume features biographies of 140 prominent Antifederalists, including Samuel Adams, George Clinton, Mercy Otis Warren, and James Monroe. Entries on each Antifederalist detail: - Personal and public life - Early political career - Revolutionary activities - Friends and enemies - Basis for opposing the Constitution - Subsequent historical reputation The second volume collects important speeches and writings of the Antifederalists, and provides annotations to help the reader place these articles in their historical context. Primary documents include: - Major pamphlets - Broadsides - Newspaper articles - Speeches delivered in state legislatures - Speeches delivered in the Philadelphia convention - Speeches delivered in state ratification conventions. Not only are many of these documents difficult to find, but they have never before been collected into one edition. Uniquely, this volume is organized by date of state ratification conventions, beginning with Pennsylvania on November 20, 1787 and ending with Rhode Island in 1790. This allows users to easily trace the on-going debate over the ratification of the Constitution, and to see how the Antifederalists' questions were formed, how their arguments were crafted, and why alliances were made and broken. In all this fascinating and valuable reference set covers a critical, neglected and enduringly important aspect of American history.

Download or read book American Founding Son written by Gerard N. Magliocca and published by NYU Press. This book was released on 2013-09-06 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: John Bingham was the architect of the rebirth of the United States following the Civil War. A leading antislavery lawyer and congressman from Ohio, Bingham wrote the most important part of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which guarantees fundamental rights and equality to all Americans. He was also at the center of two of the greatest trials in history, giving the closing argument in the military prosecution of John Wilkes Booth’s co-conspirators for the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and in the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson. And more than any other man, Bingham played the key role in shaping the Union’s policy towards the occupied ex-Confederate States, with consequences that still haunt our politics. American Founding Son provides the most complete portrait yet of this remarkable statesman. Drawing on his personal letters and speeches, the book traces Bingham’s life from his humble roots in Pennsylvania through his career as a leader of the Republican Party. Gerard N. Magliocca argues that Bingham and his congressional colleagues transformed the Constitution that the Founding Fathers created, and did so with the same ingenuity that their forbears used to create a more perfect union in the 1780s. In this book, Magliocca restores Bingham to his rightful place as one of our great leaders. Gerard N. Magliocca is the Samuel R. Rosen Professor at Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. He is the author of three books on constitutional law, and his work on Andrew Jackson was the subject of an hour-long program on C-Span’s Book TV.

Download or read book The Bill of Rights written by Ruth Bjorklund and published by Children's Press(r. This book was released on 2019-09 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many of the rights we consider most important to the United States -- from freedom of speech to a fair trial -- are in the Bill of Rights. A True Book: Why it Matters series introduces young readers to the branches of the US government, the constitution and more, while engaging them to become productive citizens. This series includes an age appropriate (grades 3-5) introduction to curriculum-relevant subjects and a robust resource section that encourages independent study. Readers will learn how these important laws came to be and how people continue to discuss and debate them even today.

Download or read book Birth of the Nation written by Charlene Bangs Bickford and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 1989 with total page 134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Birth of the Nation is the first comprehensive treatment of the work of the critically important Congress which converted the words of the Federal Constitution of 1787 into action and brought to a close the American Revolution.

Download or read book The Bill of the Century written by Clay Risen and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2014-04-01 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A 50th anniversary tribute chronicles the historical struggle to bring the Civil Rights Act into law, profiling a wide range of contributing figures in religious, public and political arenas. 60,000 first printing.

Download or read book The Federalist Papers written by Alexander Hamilton and published by Read Books Ltd. This book was released on 2018-08-20 with total page 455 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Classic Books Library presents this brand new edition of “The Federalist Papers”, a collection of separate essays and articles compiled in 1788 by Alexander Hamilton. Following the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776, the governing doctrines and policies of the States lacked cohesion. “The Federalist”, as it was previously known, was constructed by American statesman Alexander Hamilton, and was intended to catalyse the ratification of the United States Constitution. Hamilton recruited fellow statesmen James Madison Jr., and John Jay to write papers for the compendium, and the three are known as some of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Alexander Hamilton (c. 1755–1804) was an American lawyer, journalist and highly influential government official. He also served as a Senior Officer in the Army between 1799-1800 and founded the Federalist Party, the system that governed the nation’s finances. His contributions to the Constitution and leadership made a significant and lasting impact on the early development of the nation of the United States.