The Annotated U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.35 (866 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0674066227 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 368 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-03-12 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Coe Professor of History and American Studies and Professor of Political Science at Stanford University and author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution. . Jack N. Rakove is the William R
All rights reserved. (Nov.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. Rakove's is a lucid, thought-provoking guide to the contents—and discontents—of our national charters. Rakove is a constitutionalist—but he's palpably dissatisfied with the Constitution we've got. Among other complaints, he says amending the Constitution is so difficult, we passively interpret it instead of remaking it to suit our evolving purposes. . 34 b&w illus. His detailed exegeses unavoidably lose some thematic coherence while elucidating the Declaration as a work of propaganda (considerably overstati
A chronology of events provides a framework for understanding the road to Philadelphia. Rakove provides a narrative political account of how these documents came to be written. In his commentary on the Declaration of Independence, Rakove sets the historical context for a fuller appreciation of the important preamble and the list of charges leveled against the Crown. When he glosses the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the subsequent amendments, Rakove once again provides helpful historical background, targets language that has proven particularly difficult or controversial, and cites leading Supreme Court cases. Here in a newly annotated edition are the two founding documents of the United States of America: the Declaration of Independence (1776), our great revolutionary manifesto, and the Constitution (1787–88), in which “We the People” forged a new nation and built the framework for our federal republic. In an introductory essay written for the general reader, Jack N. Rakove.. Now a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian serves as a guide to these texts, providing historical contexts and offering interpretive commentary. Toget
R. Albin said Useful. This handsome volume contains the texts of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, all Constitutional amendments, annotations/commentary by the distinguished historian Jack Rakove, and a nice introductory essay. The bibliography is excellent. Rakove's introduction and comments provide the basic historical context and contemporary meanings of each component discussed and Rakove does well in providing important information while keeping the commentary brief. There is some reference to important legal history and Supreme Court decisions. Some aspects discussed. Do not buy kindle version The content of the book is good. However it is the worst formatted kindle book I have ever read. The footnotes are mixed in with the text and most are before the paragraph they are related to. It is sometimes hard to keep straight the text of the constitution, the comments, and the footnotes. None of the images are in the kindle version. If you want to read this book buy the printed book.. A Dust Collector This is a very small book with annotations too short and selective to be of much utility. Wikipedia even, if less authoritative, gives more insights, provides greater background, suggests more directions for deeper inquiry, and comes closer to achieving politically neutrality than this nearly pocket-size softback. Little flavor of the history and little richness of the controversies emanates from the annotations -- which are really just (inadequate) footnotes. The book was produced by a scholar who of course deeply appreciates the subject matter -- it's unlikely that