Political constitutions, hammered out by imperfect human beings
in periods of intense political controversy, are always compromises
with injustice. What makes the U.S. Constitution legitimate, argues
this daring book, is Americans enduring faith that the Constitution
s promises can someday be redeemed, and the constitutional system
be made a more perfect union.
A leading constitutional theorist, Balkin argues eloquently that
the American constitutional project is based in faith, hope, and a
narrative of shared redemption. Our belief that the Constitution
will deliver us from evil shows in the stories we tell one another
about where our country came from and where it is headed, and in
the way we use these historical touchstones to justify our fervent
(and opposed) political creeds. Because Americans have believed in
a story of constitutional redemption, we have assumed the right to
decide for ourselves what the Constitution means, and have worked
to persuade others to set it on the right path. As a result,
constitutional principles have often shifted dramatically over
time. They are, in fact, often political compromises in
disguise.
What will such a Constitution become? We cannot know. But our
belief in the legitimacy of the Constitution requires a leap of
faith a gamble on the ultimate vindication of a political project
that has already survived many follies and near-catastrophes, and
whose destiny is still over the horizon.
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