Catalog Search Results

Introduces the purpose and functions of the U.S. Constitution and profiles each of its parts, article by article and amendment by amendment, explaining what each one says, what it means, how it came to be, and how it has shaped the lives of citizens and American history.

James Madison, the fourth president of the United States, describes the history and parts of the Constitution.

Supreme Court Justices Stephen Breyer, Anthony Kennedy and Sandra Day O'Connor join high school students from California and Pennsylvania to discuss why we need an independent judiciary. Taped in May 2006, the justices take questions from the students and discuss the ways that the Constitution safeguards the role of judges so that they in turn can safeguard the rights of minorities and those with unpopular views.

"A groundbreaking work that retells modern history through the rise and spread of written constitutions-some enlightened, many oppressive-to every corner of the globe. Filling a crucial void in our understanding of world history, Linda Colley reconfigures the rise of the modern world over three centuries through the advent of written constitutions. Her absorbing work challenges accepted narratives, focusing on rulers like Catherine the Great, who...

The United States Constitution is the basis for our most fundamental rights as Americans and has been a key element in nearly every major legal and political debate ever argued. But how many of us actually understand the language used by our Founding Fathers? Now Linda R. Monk, an award-winning author and journalist, takes us through the Constitution, line by line, to help us comprehend this amazing document and to see the variety of ways in which...

Your complete guide to the foundation of the United States government. This guide contains the complete text of the Constitution, with short descriptive margin notes throughout. Articles and amendments are analyzed in depth to help you comprehend the basis of democracy.

What did the U.S. Constitution originally mean, and how can we recover the intentions of its framers? These questions, which resound throughout today's most heated legal and political controversies, lie at the heart of Jack N. Rakove's splendidly readable work of historical analysis. In Original Meanings, he traces the complex weave of ideology and interests from which the Constitution emerged and shows how Americans have attached different meanings...

"Mainstream media outlets have reported fresh examples of alleged executive overreach or authoritarian White House decisions nearly every day of [Trump's] presidency. In the 2020 primaries, the candidates have rushed to accuse [him] of destroying our democracy and jeopardizing our nation's very existence. Yoo argues that this charge has things exactly backwards: far from considering Trump an inherent threat to our nation's founding principles, Yoo...

Worried about what a super conservative majority on the Supreme Court means for the future of civil liberties? From gun control to reproductive health, a conservative court will reshape the lives of all Americans for decades to come. The time to develop and defend a progressive vision of the U.S. Constitution that protects the rights of all people is now.University of California Berkeley Dean and respected legal scholar Erwin Chemerinsky expertly...

"The Constitution is the most significant document in America. But do you fully understand what this valuable document means to you? In How to Read the Constitution--and Why, legal expert and educator Kimberly Wehle spells out in clear, simple, and common sense terms what is in the Constitution, and most importantly, what it means. In compelling terms and including text from the United States Constitution, she describes how the Constitution's protections...