American Constitutional History - A Brief Introduction

Reveals how the Constitution has evolved over the past 235 years, featuring updated coverage of the 2020 presidential election and constitutional changes made by the Supreme Court up to June 2021
 
American Constitutional History: A Brief Introduction, Second Edition presents a concise and accessible history of the 235-year development of the Constitution since its ratification. The book is organized around five distinct periods in U.S. history--the New Republic, the Slave Republic, the Free-Market Republic, the Social Welfare Republic, and the Contemporary Republic--to demonstrate the evolution of the American republic and its founding document over time. With an engaging narrative approach, author Jack Fruchtman describes how constitutional changes have occurred through both formal amendments and informal decisions by the president, Congress, and the Supreme Court.
 
Updated to cover the period from 2015 to 2021, the second edition examines the controversial presidential election of 2020 in which Donald Trump, despite losing the electoral and popular vote, claimed victory and espoused charges of widespread election fraud. New coverage of the addition of Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court is complemented by discussion of important decisions made after 2015, including affirming same-sex marriage, a woman's right to abortion under certain circumstances, the right to own and carry a firearm, and the central place of religious liberty in American society. This book also:
* Highlights the Constitution's evolution through government regulation of the economy, individual and civil rights, and executive power
* Reflects the evolution of constitutional changes made by the Supreme Court up to June 2021
* Discusses topics such as the ideological origins of the U.S Constitution, the Civil War and Reconstruction, the civil rights movement, and growth of executive power
* Includes chapter overviews, summaries, and descriptions of formal constitutional amendments ratified by the states
 
American Constitutional History: A Brief Introduction, Second Edition is an excellent introductory textbook for upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses in American history and political science and a must-read for general readers seeking insights into the origins and evolution of the U.S. Constitution.

Sommario

Acknowledgments xi
 
Prologue xiv
 
The Structure of the Book xviii
 
Part 1 The New Republic, 1781-1828 1
 
The Classical Republican Tradition 1
 
John Locke, Deism, and Religious Liberty 5
 
1 Ideological Origins of the New Republic 9
 
The Articles of Confederation and the Constitutional Convention 10
 
Ratification and the Bill of Rights 20
 
2 Representative and Constitutional Democracy 28
 
Judicial Review, Judicial Duty 31
 
Economic Policy in the New Republic 35
 
3 Nationalization of the Constitution and Executive Power 45
 
Part 2 The Slave Republic, 1789-1877 53
 
Constitutional Amendments 56
 
4 Commerce, Nullification, and Slavery 59
 
Other Economic Rulings 60
 
The Nullification Controversy 62
 
Dred Scott 65
 
5 Civil War and Reconstruction 69
 
Lincoln and War 70
 
Reconstruction 77
 
6 Rights and Privileges 82
 
Privileges and Immunities 84
 
Women's Rights 87
 
Persecution of Newly Freed Slaves 89
 
Part 3 The Free Market Republic, 1877-1937 93
 
Constitutional Amendments 94
 
7 The Development of Substantive Due Process 97
 
Procedural Due Process 98
 
Substantive Due Process 99
 
Restraint of Trade in the Free Market Era 102
 
Liberty of Contract 104
 
Regulating Industry 108
 
The Great Depression 110
 
8 Civil Rights After Reconstruction 112
 
Equality and African Americans 112
 
Parents and Educational Rights 120
 
The Right to Be Let Alone 121
 
9 The Re-emergence of Executive Power 123
 
Leadership and the Presidency 123
 
America and World War I 125
 
Criminal Anarchy and Criminal Syndicalism in the 1920s 134
 
Part 4 The Welfare State Republic, 1937-1995 139
 
Constitutional Amendments 140
 
10 Advocates and Enemies of Social Welfare 143
 
The Court Changes 145
 
New Social Welfare Programs 148
 
11 The Growth of Civil Liberties 150
 
Free Expression 150
 
Free Press 154
 
Religious Establishments 156
 
Criminal Suspects and Capital Punishment 159
 
Privacy 163
 
12 The Civil Rights Movement 167
 
School Desegregation 167
 
Civil and Voting Rights 170
 
Strict Scrutiny and Affirmative Action in Higher Education 172
 
Affirmative Action in Government Contracts 176
 
Women's Rights and Affirmative Action 177
 
13 Expanding Presidential Power 180
 
Presidential Power and Japanese Internments 181
 
Military Tribunals 185
 
Vietnam and Its Aftermath 186
 
Re-emergence of a Powerful Executive 188
 
Part 5 The Executive Republic, 1995-2021 193
 
14 Federal Commerce Power and Economic Regulation 199
 
Narrowing Federal Commerce Power 200
 
Healthcare Reform 203
 
15 Civil Liberties and Judicial Doctrines 208
 
Religious Establishments 209
 
Religious Liberty 212
 
Campaign Finance and Speech Rights 216
 
The Right to Bear Arms 218
 
The Right to Privacy 221
 
16 The Struggle for Equal Rights and Criminal Justice 224
 
Affirmative Action and Education 225
 
Same-Sex and Transgender Rights 227
 
Voting Rights 231
 
Capital Punishment and Criminal Justice 234
 
17 The Continued Growth of Executive Power 238
 
Foreign Terrorist Attacks and the Bush Administration 239
 
Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq 242
 
Obama and Un

Info autore

JACK FRUCHTMAN is Professor Emeritus of Political Science and former Director of the Program in Law and American Civilization at Towson University, Maryland, USA. He has authored seven books, including studies of the political thought of Richard Price, Joseph Priestley, and Thomas Paine, and has edited, co-edited, or annotated another five. Professor Fruchtman taught American constitutional law and politics at Towson from 1978 until his retirement in 2019.

Riassunto

Reveals how the Constitution has evolved over the past 235 years, featuring updated coverage of the 2020 presidential election and constitutional changes made by the Supreme Court up to June 2021

American Constitutional History: A Brief Introduction, Second Edition presents a concise and accessible history of the 235-year development of the Constitution since its ratification. The book is organized around five distinct periods in U.S. history--the New Republic, the Slave Republic, the Free-Market Republic, the Social Welfare Republic, and the Contemporary Republic--to demonstrate the evolution of the American republic and its founding document over time. With an engaging narrative approach, author Jack Fruchtman describes how constitutional changes have occurred through both formal amendments and informal decisions by the president, Congress, and the Supreme Court.

Updated to cover the period from 2015 to 2021, the second edition examines the controversial presidential election of 2020 in which Donald Trump, despite losing the electoral and popular vote, claimed victory and espoused charges of widespread election fraud. New coverage of the addition of Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court is complemented by discussion of important decisions made after 2015, including affirming same-sex marriage, a woman's right to abortion under certain circumstances, the right to own and carry a firearm, and the central place of religious liberty in American society. This book also:
* Highlights the Constitution's evolution through government regulation of the economy, individual and civil rights, and executive power
* Reflects the evolution of constitutional changes made by the Supreme Court up to June 2021
* Discusses topics such as the ideological origins of the U.S Constitution, the Civil War and Reconstruction, the civil rights movement, and growth of executive power
* Includes chapter overviews, summaries, and descriptions of formal constitutional amendments ratified by the states

American Constitutional History: A Brief Introduction, Second Edition is an excellent introductory textbook for upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses in American history and political science and a must-read for general readers seeking insights into the origins and evolution of the U.S. Constitution.

Dettagli sul prodotto

• Autori: J Fruchtman, Jack Fruchtman, Fruchtman Jack
• Editore: Wiley, John and Sons Ltd
• Lingue: Inglese
• Formato: Tascabile
• Pubblicazione: 28.02.2022
• EAN: 9781119734277
• ISBN: 978-1-119-73427-7
• Pagine: 320
• Categorie: Saggistica > Storia > Altro; Scienze sociali, diritto, economia > Diritto > Tematiche generali, enciclopedie; Scienze umane, arte, musica > Storia > Storia dei paesi e delle regioni; Geschichte, Politikwissenschaft, Verfassung, History, Law, Political Science, Rechtswissenschaft, Geschichte der USA, US History, Allg. Rechtswissenschaft, Verfassung, Regierung, Staatswesen, USA /Geschichte, Politik 1945 ff, Constitution, Government & the State