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The U.S. Constitution is a blueprint for a free society as well as a source of enduring conflict over how that society must be governed. This breezy, concise guide explains the central conflicts that frame our constitutional controversies, written in clear non-academic language to serve as a resource for engaged citizens, both inside and outside of an academic setting.
List of contents
Introduction: The Constitution and Bong Hits for Jesus; 1. The Core Disagreement: How Should We Read the Constitution?; Part I: Points of Conflict. 2. Judicial Review: Is it Legitimate and Expansive, or Questionable and Limited?; 3. Rights: Are They Individual or Collective?; 4. Federalism: Must We Have One National Standard?; 5. Liberty: Does the Constitution Invoke Ordered Liberty or Pure Liberty?; 6. Religion: Is the Constitution a Religious or Secular Document?; 7. Transcendence: Do Transcendent Principles Exist in the Constitution?; 8. Social Facts: Should the Court Move Ahead of Society or Wait for Social Change?; 9. Precedent: Should We Follow or Break From the History of the Court?; 10. Completeness: What Else Do We Need to Read?; Part II: Schools of Interpretation. 11. Textualism; 12. Common Law Constitutionalism; 13. Originalism; 14. Living Constitutionalism; 15. Comparing Schools of Interpretation; 16. Points of Conflict & Schools of Thought in a Landmark Case: Roe v. Wade; 17. Contemporary Landmark Cases: From Phelps to Obamacare; Conclusion: Reading the Constitution for Ourselves.
About the author
Morgan Marietta
is Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science at University of Massachusetts Lowell. He is the author of A Citizen's Guide to American Ideology and The Politics of Sacred Rhetoric.
Summary
The U.S. Constitution is a blueprint for a free society as well as a source of enduring conflict over how that society must be governed. This breezy, concise guide explains the central conflicts that frame our constitutional controversies, written in clear non-academic language to serve as a resource for engaged citizens, both inside and outside of an academic setting.
