000			05784cam a22006134a 4500
001			u160077
003			SIRSI
005			20240916205821.0
008			041117s2005 nyua b 001 0 eng
010			_a 2004061464
020			_a1400062624 _q(hardcover ; _qacid-freepaper)
020			_a9781400062621 _q(hardcover ; _qacid-freepaper)
020			_a9780812972726
020			_a0812972724
024	3	0	_a9781400062621
035			_a(OCoLC)57170135 _z(OCoLC)815894696 _z(OCoLC)1022713569
050	0	0	_aKF4541 _b.A87 2005
055		4	_aKF4541 _bA73
082	0	0	_a342.7302/9 _222
092			_a342.7302 _bAm485a
096			_a342.7302 A485a
100	1		_aAmar, Akhil Reed.
245	1	0	_aAmerica's Constitution : _ba biography / _cAkhil Reed Amar.
250			_a1st ed.
260			_aNew York : _bRandom House, _c
300			_axii, 657 pages : _billustrations ; _c25 cm
336			_atext _btxt _2rdacontent
337			_aunmediated _bn _2rdamedia
338			_avolume _bnc _2rdacarrier
504			_aIncludes bibliographical references and index.
505	0		_aIn the beginning -- New rules for a new world -- Congressional powers -- America's first officer -- Presidential powers -- Judges and juries -- States and territories -- The law of the land -- Making amends -- A new birth of freedom -- Progressive reforms -- Modern moves.
520			_aA Yale Law School professor offers a thought-provoking analysis of the history and tenets of the U.S. Constitution, detailing the original intent of the creators of the document, answering questions about the text, and critically assessing the evolution of the Bill of Rights and all other amendments. In America's Constitution, one of this era's most accomplished constitutional law scholars, Akhil Reed Amar, gives the first comprehensive account of one of the world's great political texts. Incisive, entertaining, and occasionally controversial, this "biography" of America's framing document explains not only what the Constitution says but also why the Constitution says it. We all know this much: the Constitution is neither immutable nor perfect. Amar shows us how the story of this one relatively compact document reflects the story of America more generally. (For example, much of the Constitution, including the glorious-sounding "We the People," was lifted from existing American legal texts, including early state constitutions.) In short, the Constitution was as much a product of its environment as it was a product of its individual creators' inspired genius. Despite the Constitution's flaws, its role in guiding our republic has been nothing short of amazing. Skillfully placing the document in the context of late-eighteenth-century American politics, America's Constitution explains, for instance, whether there is anything in the Constitution that is unamendable; the reason America adopted an electoral college; why a president must be at least thirty-five years old; and why-for now, at least-only those citizens who were born under the American flag can become president. From his unique perspective, Amar also gives us unconventional wisdom about the Constitution and its significance throughout the nation's history. For one thing, we see that the Constitution has been far more democratic than is conventionally understood. Even though the document was drafted by white landholders, a remarkably large number of citizens (by the standards of 1787) were allowed to vote up or down on it, and the document's later amendments eventually extended the vote to virtually all Americans. We also learn that the Founders' Constitution was far more slavocratic than many would acknowledge: the "three fifths" clause gave the South extra political clout for every slave it owned or acquired. As a result, slaveholding Virginians held the presidency all but four of the Republic's first thirty-six years, and proslavery forces eventually came to dominate much of the federal government prior to Lincoln's election. Ambitious, even-handed, eminently accessible, and often surprising, America's Constitution is an indispensable work, bound to become a standard reference for any student of history and all citizens of the United States.
586			_aWinner of the American Bar Association's Silver Gavel Award.
650		0	_aConstitutional history _zUnited States.
651		4	_a _xHistoire constitutionnelle.
651		6	_a _xHistoire constitutionnelle.
650		7	_aConstitutional history. _2fast _0(OCoLC)fst00875777
651		7	_aUnited States. _2fast _0(OCoLC)fst01204155
610	2	7	_aUSA. _tVerfassung. _f1787. _0(DE-588)4133001-8 _2gnd
650	1	7	_aGrondwetten. _2gtt
630	0	7	_aVerfassung <1787> _2swd
650	0	7	_aVerfassungsrecht. _2swd
651		7	_aUSA. _2swd
648		4	_aGeschichte.
776	0	8	_iOnline version: _aAmar, Akhil Reed. _tAmerica's Constitution. _b1st ed. _d _w(OCoLC)607615050
856	4	1	_3Sample text _uhttp://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0619/2004061464-s.html
856	4	2	_3Contributor biographical information _uhttp://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0619/2004061464-b.html
856	4	2	_3Publisher description _uhttp://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0619/2004061464-d.html
856	4	2	_uhttp://library.ccsu.edu/help/spcoll/oconnell/index.htm _zEntire Brian O'Connell Collection
856	4	2	_3Contributor biographical information _uhttp://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0619/2004061464-b.html
856	4	2	_3Publisher description _uhttp://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0619/2004061464-d.html
856	4	1	_3Sample text _uhttp://www.loc.gov/catdir/enhancements/fy0619/2004061464-s.html
949			_cc.1 _lCIRCSTACKS _tBOOK _xPRINT _p
999			_a342.7302 AM485A _wDEWEY _c6575 _i51994001519448 _f6/29/2023 _g2 _lCIRCSTACKS _mLRC _p$29.95 _rY _sY _tBOOK _u7/20/2020 _xPRINT _d6575