Download or read book Peopling the Constitution written by John E. Finn and published by University Press of Kansas. This book was released on 2014-03-24 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The U. S. Constitution begins with the soaring words “We the People,” but we, the people, have little to do with the document as most of us have come to know it. When most people think of the constitution they think of it as a legal instrument, the province of judges and lawyers, who alone possess the expertise and knowledge necessary to discern its elusive and complex meaning. This book outlines a very different view of the Constitution as a moral and philosophical statement about who we are as a nation. This “Civic Constitution” constitutes us as a civic body politic, transforming “the people” into a singular political entity. Juxtaposing this view with the legal model, the “Juridic Constitution,” John E. Finn offers a comprehensive account of the Civic Constitution as a public affirmation of the shared principles of national self-identity, and as a particular vision of political community in which we the people play a significant and ongoing role in achieving a constitutional way of life. The Civic Constitution is the constitution of dialogical engagement, of contested meanings, of political principles, of education, of conversation. Peopling the Constitution seeks nothing less than a new interpretation of the American constitutional project in an effort to revive a robust understanding of citizenship. It considers the entire constitutional project, from its founding and maintenance to its failure, with insights into topics ranging from the practice of deliberative democracy and the meaning of citizenship, to constitutional fidelity, civic virtue, the separation of powers, federalism, and constitutional interpretation. The Civic Constitution, in Finn’s telling, is primarily a political project requiring an active, engaged, and most importantly, constitutionally educated citizenry committed to the civic virtues of civility and tending. When we as citizens are unwilling or unable to tend to and sustain the Constitution, and when constitutional questions reduce to legal questions and obscure civic interests, constitutional rot results. And in post-9/11 America, Finn argues, constitutional rot has begun to set in. With its multi-dimensional vision of constitutional governance, Finn's book stands as a corrective to accounts that locate the Constitution in and conceive it essentially as a legal instrument, making a powerful and impassioned argument for restoring the people to their rightful place in the politics and practice of the Constitution.
Download or read book Ratification written by Pauline Maier and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2011-06-07 with total page 608 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The dramatic story of the debate over the ratification of the Constitution, the first new account of this seminal moment in American history in years.
Download or read book Essays on the Constitution of the United States written by Paul Leicester Ford and published by . This book was released on 1892 with total page 454 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Fracturing the Founding written by John E. Finn and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2019-03-15 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Many in the radical right, including the Tea Party, the militia movement, the Alt-right, Christian nationalists, the Oath Keepers, neo-Nazis, and a host of others, brand themselves as constitutional patriots. In Fracturing the Founding: How the Alt-Right Corrupts the Constitution, John E. Finn, one of America’s leading constitutional scholars, argues that these professions of constitutional devotion serve an important function in mainstreaming the radical right’s ideological and policy agenda: to camouflage its racism, bigotry, and sexism to appeal to a broader audience. The constitution the extreme right holds as its faith is an odd admixture of the forgotten, the rejected, the racist, and the bizarre. Finn illuminates the central precepts of the Alt-constitution and shows how and where it differs from the (true) American Constitution. The differences are disturbing. The Alt-constitution emphasizes absolute rights and unassailable liberties (especially for freedom of speech and guns, no matter the public interest), states’ rights and a corresponding suspicion of the federal government, racial classifications recognized and legitimated by law, and privilege for white Christians. Finn’s book will appeal to all readers interested in contemporary American politics, the contemporary radical right, the Founding and the history of America’s constitution.
Download or read book Constitution for a Free People for City County Provincial State and National Governments written by Douglas Robinson Buck and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2017-01-31 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Constitution for a Free People presents all the principles and tools needed to create a charter for freedom for any government: city, county, state, nation, or colony on the Moon or Mars. It is based on the inspired original Constitution for the United States, with worthy safeguards to secure liberty for the people and curb the growth of power by any person or special group. It assumes that men and women are born free and that most, when they arrive at the years of majority, are able to come together, deliberate on their common needs, and solve problems. It hails the U.S. Constitution as a charter of liberty and shows how the ideas behind its creation can become the basis for any government. Many statements from the Founders of the United States are given in support. This is not a history book, although some history is included. It is not a political science tome, although may be used as a handbook for students and statesmen. It is not a political tract, although conservative by nature. And it is not a novel or fiction. It is a plan for a government of the people, by the people and for the people, a plan to keep most political decision making close to home, a plan to secure for all people their best hope for liberty, prosperity and happiness.
Download or read book The People Themselves written by Larry Kramer and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2004 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book makes the radical claim that rather than interpreting the Constitution from on high, the Court should be reflecting popular will--or the wishes of the people themselves.
Download or read book Pamphlets on the Constitution of the United States written by Paul Leicester Ford and published by Brooklyn, N.Y. : [s.n.]. This book was released on 1888 with total page 474 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Constitutional Convention of 1787 written by Charles River Charles River Editors and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-03-05 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Includes pictures *Includes contemporary accounts *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading "All communities divide themselves into the few and the many. The first are the rich and well born, the other the mass of the people. The voice of the people has been said to be the voice of God; and however generally this maxim has been quoted and believed, it is not true in fact. The people are turbulent and changing; they seldom judge or determine right. Give therefore to the first class a distinct, permanent share in the government. They will check the unsteadiness of the second, and as they cannot receive any advantage by a change, they therefore will ever maintain good government. Can a democratic assembly, who annually revolve in the mass of the people, be supposed steadily to pursue the public good? Nothing but a permanent body can check the imprudence of democracy. Their turbulent and uncontroling disposition requires checks." - Alexander Hamilton, quoted in Notes of the Secret Debates of the Federal Convention of 1787 By 1787, it became evident that the Articles of Confederation were inadequate for the new nation. With these problems hampering the national government under the Articles of Confederation and the threat of default on the nation's massive war debt looming, plans began being made to fix the problems of the Articles of Confederation. Thus, that summer a Constitutional convention was called, and each state sent delegates to Philadelphia. Among the delegates were prominent patriots and former members of the Continental Congress, including George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. However, while most of the delegates came to Philadelphia virtually starting with nothing, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison arrived in Philadelphia well-prepared and well-studied. Hamilton had been a leader in calling for a Constitutional Convention to restructure the nation's government at the convention in Annapolis a year earlier. At that convention, Hamilton had been elected to draft a document describing the reasons for a stronger national government. The letter was sent to each of the 13 states, and it was instrumental in leading to the opening of the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Meanwhile, Madison had been brushing up on his political theory and actually prepared extensively for the Convention. Madison used his extensive knowledge of ancient and foreign languages to study Constitutions from across the world, which he had done this prior to helping craft the Virginia Constitution. Thus, he was already considered something of an expert on Constitutionalism. Given that background, and the fact that he had done more legwork than anybody else at the Convention, delegates looked to him as a leader on the subject. The Constitution was a decisive move away from the Articles of Confederation which the proponents of the Constitution claimed promoted dissonance by giving the States too much autonomy. They argued that a strong federal government ought to be empowered to maintain standing armies, provide for a national militia, and be able to levy direct taxes to support its common defense and provide for economic prosperity. Certain fears about the federal government becoming omnipotent and abusing its military authority or right to tax, they argued, should be assuaged by understanding the role of legislature, or the representatives of the people, in determining the central government's authority to raise an army and levy taxes. This was a democratic experiment that had never been embarked upon before. The Constitutional Convention of 1787: The History and Legacy of the Drafting of the U.S. Constitution looks at how America's governing document came to be. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the Constitutional Convention like never before.
Download or read book Colonial Origins of the American Constitution written by Donald S. Lutz and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents 80 documents selected to reflect Eric Voegelin's theory that in Western civilization basic political symbolizations tend to be variants of the original symbolization of Judeo-Christian religious tradition. These documents demonstrate the continuity of symbols preceding the writing of the Constitution and all contain a number of basic symbols such as: a constitution as higher law, popular sovereignty, legislative supremacy, the deliberative process, and a virtuous people. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Download or read book Some Defects in the Constitution of the United States An Address to the Law Department of the University of Pennsylvania 27 April 1906 Classic Rep written by Walter Clark and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2018-02-08 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Some Defects in the Constitution of the United States: An Address to the Law Department of the University of Pennsylvania, 27 April, 1906 Our F ederal Constitution was adopted nearly a century and a quar ter ago. In that time every State has radically revised its constitution and most of them several times. Indeed, the constitution of New York requires that the question of a constitutional convention shall be submitted to its people at least once every 20 years. The object is that the organic law shall keep abreast of the needs and wants of the people and shall represent the will and progress of to-day and shall not, as is the case with the F ederal Constitution, be hampered by provisions deemed best by the divided counsels of a small handful of men in providing for the wants of the Government considerably more than 100 years ago. Had those men been gifted with divine foresight and created a Constitution fit for this day and its develop ment, it would have been unsuited for the needs of the times in which it was fashioned. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
Download or read book Constitution of the United States written by Founding Fathers and published by . This book was released on 2014-11-25 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The landmark legal document of the United States, the U.S. Constitution comprises the primary law of the Federal Government. Signed by the members of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787, the Constitution outlines the powers and responsibilities of the three chief branches of the Federal Government, as well as the basic rights of the citizens of the United States. This beautiful gift edition contains the complete text of the United States Constitution, as well as all of its amendments. It is a treasure for Americans of all ages.
Download or read book The Civic Constitution written by Elizabeth Beaumont and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2014 with total page 361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Civic Constitution provides a compelling case for rethinking the U.S. Constitution. By exploring pivotal struggles over governmental power, individual rights, and the boundaries of citizenship, this book challenges reigning approaches and reveals the profound importance of 'civic founders' who worked to reinvent the constitutional order.
Download or read book Pamphlets on the Constitution of the United States Published During Its Discussion by the People 1787 1788 Primary Source Edition written by Richard Henry Lee and published by . This book was released on 2013-10 with total page 468 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.
Download or read book A Constitution of the People and How to Achieve It written by Aarif Abraham and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2021-04-30 with total page 382 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Britain does not have a written constitution. It has rather, over centuries, developed a set of miscellaneous conventions, rules, and norms that govern political behavior. By contrast, Bosnia’s constitution was written, quite literally, overnight in a military hanger in Dayton, USA, to conclude a devastating war. By most standards it does not work and is seen to have merely frozen a conflict and all development with it. What might these seemingly unrelated countries be able to teach each other? Britain, racked by recent crises from Brexit to national separatism, may be able to avert long-term political conflict by understanding the pitfalls of writing rigid constitutional rules without popular participation or the cultivation of good political culture. Bosnia, in turn, may be able to thaw its frozen conflict by subjecting parts of its written constitution to amendment, with civic involvement, on a fixed and regular basis; a ’revolving constitution’ to replicate some of that flexibility inherent in the British system. A book not just about Bosnia and Britain; a standard may be set for other plural, multi-ethnic polities to follow.
Download or read book Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania written by UNKNOWN. AUTHOR and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2015-07-14 with total page 48 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Constitution of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: Adopted by the Constitutional Convention November 3, 1873; Ratified and Adopted by the People December 16, 1873 and Went Into Effect January 1st 1874 Regulating the practice or jurisdiction of, or changing the rules of evidence in, any judicial proceeding or inquiry before courts, aldermen, justices of the peace, sheriffs, commissioners. Arbitrators, auditors, masters in Chancery or other tribunals, or providing or changing methods for the collection of debts, or the enforcing of judgments, or prescribing the effect Of judicial sales of real estate. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
Download or read book All Rise written by Dikgang Moseneke and published by Pan Macmillan South africa. This book was released on 2021-08-02 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At the young age of fifteen, Dikgang Moseneke was imprisoned for participating in anti-apartheid activities. During his ten years of incarceration, he completed his schooling by correspondence and earned two university degrees. Afterwards he studied law at the University of South Africa. After some years in general legal practice and at the Bar, and a brief segue into business, Moseneke was persuaded that he would best serve the country’s young democracy by taking judicial office. All Rise covers his years on the bench, with particular focus on his fifteen-year term as a judge at South Africa’s apex court, the Constitutional Court, including as the deputy chief justice. His insights into the Constitutional Court’s structures, the personalities peopling it, the values it embodies, the human dramas that shook it and the cases that were brought to it make for fascinating reading. From the Constitutional Court of Arthur Chaskalson to the Mogoeng Mogoeng era, Moseneke’s understated but astute commentary is a reflection on the country’s ongoing but not altogether comfortable journey to a better life for all.
Download or read book A People s History of the United States written by Howard Zinn and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2003-02-04 with total page 764 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since its original landmark publication in 1980, A People's History of the United States has been chronicling American history from the bottom up, throwing out the official version of history taught in schools -- with its emphasis on great men in high places -- to focus on the street, the home, and the, workplace. Known for its lively, clear prose as well as its scholarly research, A People's History is the only volume to tell America's story from the point of view of -- and in the words of -- America's women, factory workers, African-Americans, Native Americans, the working poor, and immigrant laborers. As historian Howard Zinn shows, many of our country's greatest battles -- the fights for a fair wage, an eight-hour workday, child-labor laws, health and safety standards, universal suffrage, women's rights, racial equality -- were carried out at the grassroots level, against bloody resistance. Covering Christopher Columbus's arrival through President Clinton's first term, A People's History of the United States, which was nominated for the American Book Award in 1981, features insightful analysis of the most important events in our history. Revised, updated, and featuring a new after, word by the author, this special twentieth anniversary edition continues Zinn's important contribution to a complete and balanced understanding of American history.
