The blessings of liberty : a concise history of the Constitution of the United States
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
The blessings of liberty : a concise history of the Constitution of the United States
Rowman & Littlefield, c2023
4th ed
- : paper
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Note
Previous ed.: 2017
Includes bibliographical references and indexes
Description and Table of Contents
Description
This concise, accessible text provides students with a history of American constitutional development in the context of political, economic, and social change. Constitutional historian Michael Benedict stresses the role that the American people have played over time in defining the powers of government and the rights of individuals and minorities. He covers important trends and events in U.S. constitutional history, encompassing key Supreme Court and lower-court cases. The volume begins by discussing the English and colonial origins of American constitutionalism. Following an analysis of the American Revolution's meaning to constitutional history, the text traces the Constitution's evolution from the Early Republic to the present day. This fourth edition is updated to include the 2016 election, the Trump administration, the 2020 election, and the first activities of the Biden administration.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction: The American Constitution and American Constitutional History
English Origins of American Constitutionalism
Colonial Origins of American Constitutionalism
The American Revolution
Establishing New State and Federal Constitutions
Constitutional Issues in the Early Republic
Judicial Review, Nationalism, and State Sovereignty
Andrew Jackson, Democracy, and "State Rights"
Slavery and the Constitution
The Constitution and the Civil War
Reconstruction and the Constitution
The Industrial State, Victorian Moralism, Laissez-Faire Constitutionalism, and State Rights
The Progressive Era
Liberal versus Conservative Constitutionalism in the 1920s
The New Deal and the Constitution
Liberal Constitutionalism
Liberal Constitutionalism and Equality
Curbing Presidential Power
The Revival of Conservative Constitutionalism
The Supreme Court and Conservative Constitutionalism
The Erosion of Constitutional Comity
The Conservative Court, the Constitution and Judicial Supremacy
Presidentialism and the Security State
Constitution Wars
NEW CHAPTER 24: Constitutional Crisis
Appendix A Articles of Confederation
Appendix B Constitution of the United States
Appendix C Justices of the United States Supreme Court
Appendix D Tables of Cases
Index
by "Nielsen BookData"