constitutional history

Introduces facts about the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Describes the creation of the United States Constitution from three different perspectives, a serving girl, a law clerk, and an apprentice printer.

Looks at the U.S. Constitution, how it works and its history.

Author Spier gives the historical facts behind the writing of the Constitution, while his colorful and realistic illustrations depict scenes of past and present American life.

"The prizewinning author of Founding Brothers and American Sphinx now gives us the unexpected story--brilliantly told--of why the thirteen colonies, having just fought off the imposition of a distant centralized governing power, would decide to subordinate themselves anew. The triumph of the American Revolution was neither an ideological nor political guarantee that the colonies would relinquish their independence and accept the creation of a federal government with power over their individual autonomy. The Quartet is the story of this second American founding and of the men responsible--some familiar, such as George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison, and some less so, such as Robert Morris and Governeur Morris. It was these men who shaped the contours of American history by diagnosing the systemic dysfunctions created by the Articles of Confederation, manipulating the political process to force a calling of the Constitutional Convention, conspiring to set the agenda in Philadelphia, orchestrating the debate in the state ratifying conventions, and, finally, drafting the Bill of Rights to assure state compliance with the constitutional settlement"--.

The formation of the new American nation was a defining event in the history of the United States. New Nation: 1784-1812 recounts the events in the consolidation of the independent United States and the struggle to unite the conflicting elements within the nation. It includes the writing of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and the attempts of the new nation at finding the right system of government.

Looks at the framing of the United States Constitution and its amendments through such primary source documents as speeches, records of the Constitutional Convention and similar meetings, and the documents themselves.

Explores George Washington's life following the American Revolution, discusses his role in the development of America as a nation, and charts his path to becoming the first President of the United States.

Provides brief character sketches of the key figures of the American Revolution, revealing the ambiguities, complexities, and uncertainties of the founding generation as well as their achievements.

Analyzes early-twentieth-century constitutional law and jurisprudence, focusing on the Supreme Court decisions related to the New Deal.