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America's Constitution : a biography / Akhil Reed Amar.
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Amar, Akhil Reed
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Constitutional history--United States.
- Constitutional history.
- United States.
- Physical Description:
- 1 online resource (xii, 657 pages) : illustrations
- Edition:
- First edition.
- Place of Publication:
- New York : Random House, [2005]
- System Details:
- text file
- Summary:
- In this comprehensive, incisive, and entertaining "biography" of one of the world's great political texts, eminent constitutional-law scholar Akhil Reed Amar explains not only what the Constitution says but also why the Constitution says it. Skillfully placing the document in the context of late-eighteenth-century American politics, Amar reveals how a document that was in large part drafted by slaveholding landed gentry could later be instrumental in the emancipation of slaves, the enfranchisement of women, and many other modern expansions of liberty and equality. Amar celebrates the Constitution's remarkable durability, noting how debate over its central role in American government remains vital and dynamic more than two centuries after it was written. Ambitious, evenhanded, 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.
- Contents:
- In the beginning
- New rules for a new world
- Congressional powers
- America's first officer
- Presidential powers
- Judges and juries
- States and territories
- The law of the land
- Making amends
- A new birth of freedom
- Progressive reforms
- Modern moves.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- Electronic reproduction. Ipswich, MA Available via World Wide Web.
- Winner of the American Bar Association's Silver Gavel Award.
- Description based on print version record.
- Other Format:
- Online version: Amar, Akhil Reed. America's Constitution.
- ISBN:
- 9781588364876
- 1588364879
- Publisher Number:
- 99985057644
- 9781400062621
- Access Restriction:
- Restricted for use by site license.
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