constitutional history

"Discusses the creation and execution of the Articles of Confederation in the early days of the United States"--.

"A timely account of a raging debate: The history of the ongoing struggle between the presidents and Congress over who has the power to declare and wage war. The Constitution states that it is Congress that declares war, but it is the presidents who have more often taken us to war and decided how to wage it. In Waging War, United States Circuit Judge for the United States Court of Appeals David Barron opens with an account of George Washington and the Continental Congress over Washington's plan to burn New York City before the British invasion. Congress ordered him not to, and he obeyed. Barron takes us through all the wars that followed: 1812, the Mexican War, the Civil War, the Spanish-American war, World Wars One and Two, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and now, most spectacularly, the War on Terror. Congress has criticized George W. Bush for being too aggressive and Barack Obama for not being aggressive enough, but it avoids a vote on the matter. By recounting how our presidents have declared and waged wars, Barron shows that these executives have had to get their way without openly defying Congress. Waging War shows us our country's revered and colorful presidents at their most trying times--Washington, Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Johnson, both Bushes, and Obama. Their wars have made heroes of some and victims of others, but most have proved adept at getting their way over reluctant or hostile Congresses. The next president will face this challenge immediately--and the Constitution and its fragile system of checks and balances will once again be at the forefront of the national debate"--.

In 1215, England was beset by foreign crises and cornered by a growing domestic rebellion. King John reluctantly agreed to fix his seal to a document that would change the course of history. At the time of its creation, the Magna Carta was just a peace treaty drafted by a group of rebel barons who were tired of the king's high taxes, arbitrary justice, and endless foreign wars. The fragile peace it established would last only two months, but its principles have reverberated over the centuries. This narrative follows the story of the Magna Carta's creation, its failure, and the war that subsequently engulfed England, and charts the high points in its unexpected afterlife: it protected the church, banned unlawful imprisonment, and set limits to the exercise of royal power. It established the principle that taxation must be tied to representation and paved the way for the creation of parliament. Our Declaration of Independence was formulated after the Magna Carta.

Chronicles the drafting and ratification of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, discusses events leading up to the development of these documents, and includes comments from historians.

Peter Sagal travels across the country on a Harley Davidson to learn about the U.S. Constitution.

Recounts the story of the Constitution, including the biographies of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin. Discusses how the constitutional provisions which separate the federal and state governments have been designed to protect against an unlimited concentration of power.

Explains the history and basic principles of the Constitution of the United States.

A documentary of the American Revolution. Chronicles events leading up to the war, the revolution, and the writing of the Constitution. Features dramatic readings from letters and diaries of the period, comments by historians, and live-action recreations.

Looks at how the thirteen individual colonies came together as a unified nation in the wake of the American Revolution, discussing the Articles of Confederation, and the process by which the Constitution was forged.

Explains the history and basic principles of the Constitution of the United States.