American Constitutional History presents a concise introduction to the constitutional developments that have taken place over the past 225 years, treating trends from history, law, and political science.
- Presents readers with a brief and accessible introduction to more than two centuries of U.S. constitutional history
- Explores constitutional history chronologically, breaking U.S. history into five distinct periods
- Reveals the full sweep of constitutional changes through a focus on issues relating to economic developments, civil rights and civil liberties, and executive power
- Reflects the evolution of constitutional changes all the way up to the conclusion of the June 2015 Supreme Court term
Acknowledgments xi
Prologue xiii
Structure of the Book xvii
Part 1 The New Republic, 17811828 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 21
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, 17891877 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 7l³$
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