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.
"From the Hardcover edition."
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