HIS 120: Decade of Decision: 1780s: The U.S. Constitution

A leading scholar of constitutional law delivers an incisive and brilliant new account of the Bill of Rights and explodes conventional wisdom about our most basic charter of liberty. Akhil Reed Amar not only illuminates the text, structure, and history of the 1789 Bill but also argues that its present character owes more to antislavery activists of the Reconstruction era than to the Founding Fathers who created the Bill.

This thought-provoking and interesting text provides a complete examination of each of our nation's 27 Constitutional Amendments. From the prohibition of alcoholic beverages, to slavery, to the voting rights of women, this text illustrates how the US Constitution has changed since its ratification in 1789.

There is perhaps no more critical juncture in American history than the years in which Americans drafted the federal Constitution, fiercely debated its merits and failings, and adopted it, albeit with reservations. In Contested Conventions, senior historian Melvin Yazawa examines the political and ideological clashes that accompanied the transformation of the country from a loose confederation of states to a more perfect union. Treating the 1787-1789 period as a whole, the book highlights the contingent nature of the struggle to establish the Constitution and brings into focus the overriding concern of the framers and ratifiers, who struggled to counter what Alexander Hamilton identified as the "centrifugal" forces driving Americans toward a disastrous disunion. This concern inspired the delegates in Philadelphia to resolve through compromise the two most divisive confrontations of the Constitutional Convention--representation in the new Congress and slavery--and was instrumental in gaining ratification even in states where Antifederalist delegates comprised a substantial majority. Arguing that the debates over ratification reflected competing ideas about the meaning of American nationhood, Yazawa illuminates the nature of the crisis that necessitated the meeting at Philadelphia in the first place. Contested Conventions is a cohesive and compelling account of the defining issues that led to the establishment of the Constitution; it should appeal to history students and scholars alike.

Original Intents fully explains the political, economic, and constitutional ideas of Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison as their thinking developed from the American Revolution through the early 1790s. It shows how their ideas developed and changed as they engaged witheach other and eventually began to have serious debates and arguments. The book shows that there is no single original meaning or intent in the Constitution and that Hamilton sought to build a republican United States that was completely incompatible with the republic that Jefferson and Madisonwanted. By the early 1790s the two Virginians had come to despise Hamilton and detest his vision, feelings he fully shared about them and their values and ideas.

A detailed index to the provisions of the Constitution, plus texts of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are provided, as well as a glossary of terms that helps clarify the terminology used in the Constitution.