Making A New American Constitution

Author : George William Van Cleve
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 47,7 Mb
Release : 2020-09-20
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1735548901

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Making a New American Constitution by George William Van Cleve Pdf

This is a book about constitutional reform. Today the Constitution is a dangerous threat to Abraham Lincoln's vision of government of the people, by the people, and for the people. It served the United States well during its early years, but has numerous remarkably undemocratic features. And the Constitution has an even graver overarching flaw. It is preventing us from making reforms needed to address the collapse of the middle class and to renew our rapidly decaying social bonds. The Constitution is a massive obstruction to national unity and to our country's survival.Today we are a multicultural, racially diverse, heavily urbanized society. And we are now in danger of being governed permanently by a wealthy oligarchy. Our middle class is headed toward collapse, and our democracy cannot survive its demise. Steadily deteriorating socioeconomic conditions facing millions of poor and middle-class Americans are almost certain to result in a political crisis that may weaken or shatter our union.To avoid such a catastrophe, it will be essential for us to make extensive political, social, and economic reforms based on constitutional changes that will enable all Americans to view their government as truly fair and firmly committed to creating equal life opportunities and justice for everyone, not just for one elite class or dominant race. This book explains why the Constitution is a major obstacle to reform, and what we will need to do to create a resilient democracy. It takes a deep look at the Constitution's undemocratic features, and then explores why the Constitution also makes unworkable piecemeal reforms, such as a constitutional amendment to take money out of politics or a balanced budget amendment. The time to change our government has come. Americans can and must hold a popular convention that can achieve a constitutional grand bargain resolving divisive issues, which will renew republican government and avoid permanent authoritarian rule by a wealthy oligarchy. The book explores how a popular convention can be held, and proposes a series of essential constitutional reforms.

Author : Richard Beeman
Publisher : Random House Trade Paperbacks
Page : 546 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2010-02-09
Category : History
ISBN : 9780812976847

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Plain, Honest Men by Richard Beeman Pdf

In May 1787, in an atmosphere of crisis, delegates met in Philadelphia to design a radically new form of government. Distinguished historian Richard Beeman captures as never before the dynamic of the debate and the characters of the men who labored that historic summer. Virtually all of the issues in dispute—the extent of presidential power, the nature of federalism, and, most explosive of all, the role of slavery—have continued to provoke conflict throughout our nation's history. This unprecedented book takes readers behind the scenes to show how the world's most enduring constitution was forged through conflict, compromise, and fragile consensus. As Gouverneur Morris, delegate of Pennsylvania, noted: "While some have boasted it as a work from Heaven, others have given it a less righteous origin. I have many reasons to believe that it is the work of plain, honest men."

Author : Alexander Hamilton,John Jay,James Madison
Publisher : Read Books Ltd
Page : 455 pages
File Size : 54,9 Mb
Release : 2018-08-20
Category : History
ISBN : 9781528785877

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The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton,John Jay,James Madison Pdf

Classic Books Library presents this brand new edition of “The Federalist Papers”, a collection of separate essays and articles compiled in 1788 by Alexander Hamilton. Following the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776, the governing doctrines and policies of the States lacked cohesion. “The Federalist”, as it was previously known, was constructed by American statesman Alexander Hamilton, and was intended to catalyse the ratification of the United States Constitution. Hamilton recruited fellow statesmen James Madison Jr., and John Jay to write papers for the compendium, and the three are known as some of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Alexander Hamilton (c. 1755–1804) was an American lawyer, journalist and highly influential government official. He also served as a Senior Officer in the Army between 1799-1800 and founded the Federalist Party, the system that governed the nation’s finances. His contributions to the Constitution and leadership made a significant and lasting impact on the early development of the nation of the United States.

Author : Hannis Taylor
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 738 pages
File Size : 49,8 Mb
Release : 1911
Category : Constitutional history
ISBN : STANFORD:36105043924864

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The Origin and Growth of the American Constitution by Hannis Taylor Pdf

Author : William MacDonald
Publisher : Theclassics.Us
Page : 60 pages
File Size : 51,8 Mb
Release : 2013-09
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1230337857

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A New Constitution for a New America by William MacDonald Pdf

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1921 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER XI WIDENING THE POWERS OF CONGRESS It has generally been regarded as one of the great virtues of the American Constitution that the powers which it granted to the President, to Congress, or to the courts were in most instances phrased in broad and general terms, and thus could be applied, without doing violence to their obvious meaning, to changing social conditions. The grant to Congress for example, of the power "to regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian tribes," has proved sufficient, it has been pointed out, for the days of the stage-coach and the days of the railway, for those of the sailing vessel and those of the steamship. But for this adaptability to changing circumstances the Constitution would have been much more frequently amended than it has been, and the amendments would certainly have taken a wider range. Not even the American Constitution, however, is perfect. The lapse of time, the experience acquired in working the constitutional machinery, strained and inconsistent interpretations by the courts and by the executive, and the rise of new issues or the development of new social conditions which the framers of the Constitution could by no possibility have foreseen, have combined to reveal certain important defects or limitations in the Constitution which should now be remedied. Some of those defects and limitations which concern the Constitution itself have already been considered. Those which concern Congress, especially as that body would be under a responsible government, remain to be discussed. i. Corporations. The Constitution gives to Congress no direct power to create corporations. The famous controversy in 1791, however, over the incorporation of the first...

Author : John F. Kowal
Publisher : The New Press
Page : 493 pages
File Size : 50,6 Mb
Release : 2021-09-21
Category : Law
ISBN : 9781620975626

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The People’s Constitution by John F. Kowal Pdf

The 233-year story of how the American people have taken an imperfect constitution—the product of compromises and an artifact of its time—and made it more democratic Who wrote the Constitution? That’s obvious, we think: fifty-five men in Philadelphia in 1787. But much of the Constitution was actually written later, in a series of twenty-seven amendments enacted over the course of two centuries. The real history of the Constitution is the astonishing story of how subsequent generations have reshaped our founding document amid some of the most colorful, contested, and controversial battles in American political life. It’s a story of how We the People have improved our government’s structure and expanded the scope of our democracy during eras of transformational social change. The People’s Constitution is an elegant, sobering, and masterly account of the evolution of American democracy. From the addition of the Bill of Rights, a promise made to save the Constitution from near certain defeat, to the post–Civil War battle over the Fourteenth Amendment, from the rise and fall of the “noble experiment” of Prohibition to the defeat and resurgence of an Equal Rights Amendment a century in the making, The People’s Constitution is the first book of its kind: a vital guide to America’s national charter, and an alternative history of the continuing struggle to realize the Framers’ promise of a more perfect union.

Author : Richard B. Bernstein,Kym S. Rice
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 384 pages
File Size : 43,9 Mb
Release : 1987
Category : History
ISBN : UOM:39015011821470

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Are We to be a Nation? by Richard B. Bernstein,Kym S. Rice Pdf

The author retells the entire story of the revolution in political thought that resulted in the republican experiment under the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Author : Carol Berkin
Publisher : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Page : 324 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2002
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 0156028727

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A Brilliant Solution by Carol Berkin Pdf

Revisiting all the original documents and using her deep knowledge of eighteenth-century history and politics, Carol Berkin takes a fresh look at the men who framed the Constitution, the issues they faced, and the times they lived in. Berkin transports the reader into the hearts and minds of the founders, exposing their fears and their limited expectations of success.

Author : Akhil Reed Amar,Akhil Amar
Publisher : Basic Books
Page : 640 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2012-09-11
Category : Law
ISBN : 9780465033096

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America's Unwritten Constitution by Akhil Reed Amar,Akhil Amar Pdf

Explores the little-understood relationship between the written Constitution and the many external factors that shape the interpretations of this foundational document.

Author : Brian P. Simpson
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
Page : 323 pages
File Size : 52,5 Mb
Release : 2021-03-09
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781793612212

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A Declaration and Constitution for a Free Society by Brian P. Simpson Pdf

What are individual rights? What is freedom? How are they related to each other? Why are they so crucial to human life? How do you protect them? These are some of the questions that A Declaration and Constitution for a Free Society answers. The book uses Objectivist philosophy—the philosophy of Ayn Rand—to analyze subjective, intrinsic, and objective theories of rights and show why rights and freedom are objective necessities of human life. This knowledge is then used to make changes to the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution. Through these changes, the book shows the fundamental legal requirements of a free society and why we should create such a society. It demonstrates why a free society is morally, politically, and economically beneficial to human beings.

Author : Larry J. Sabato
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Page : 353 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 2010-07-23
Category : History
ISBN : 9780802777560

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A More Perfect Constitution by Larry J. Sabato Pdf

"The reader can't help but hold out hope that maybe someday, some of these sweeping changes could actually bring the nation's government out of its intellectual quagmire...his lively, conversational tone and compelling examples make the reader a more than willing student for this updated civics lesson." --The Hill The political book of the year, from the acclaimed founder and director of the Center for politics at the University of Virginia. A More Perfect Constitution presents creative and dynamic proposals from one of the most visionary and fertile political minds of our time to reinvigorate our Constitution and American governance at a time when such change is urgently needed, given the growing dysfunction and unfairness of our political system . Combining idealism and pragmatism, and with full respect for the original document, Larry Sabato's thought-provoking ideas range from the length of the president's term in office and the number and terms of Supreme Court justices to the vagaries of the antiquated Electoral College, and a compelling call for universal national service-all laced through with the history behind each proposal and the potential impact on the lives of ordinary people. Aware that such changes won't happen easily, but that the original Framers fully expected the Constitution to be regularly revised, Sabato urges us to engage in the debate and discussion his ideas will surely engender. During an election year, no book is more relevant or significant than this.

Author : W. Cleon Skousen
Publisher : Verity Publishing
Page : 1647 pages
File Size : 45,7 Mb
Release : 2024-06-11
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780934364669

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The Making of America by W. Cleon Skousen Pdf

The United States of America has been blessed with the world’s greatest political success formula. In a little over a century, this formula allowed a small segment of the human family—less than 6 percent—to become the richest nation on earth. It allowed them to create more than half of the world’s total output in production and enjoy the highest standard of living in the history of the world. In this book, we learn how the Founding Fathers discovered this success formula. Much of this discovery is told in the words of the Founders themselves, so that the reader can feel the power of their minds sweeping away thousands of years of bad government and illogical laws to formulate a whole new society based on human freedom. By returning to the roots of the Founders’ thinking, and contemplating the logic that they used in establishing the Constitution, we can better understand the challenges and solutions that confront us in today’s political world. This eBook includes the original index, illustrations, footnotes, table of contents and page numbering from the printed format.

Author : William N. Eskridge (Jr.),John A. Ferejohn
Publisher : Yale University Press
Page : 591 pages
File Size : 53,5 Mb
Release : 2010-01-01
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9780300120882

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A Republic of Statutes by William N. Eskridge (Jr.),John A. Ferejohn Pdf

William Eskridge and John Ferejohn propose an original theory of constitutional law whereby, while the Constitution provides a vision, our democracy advances by means of statutes that supplement or even supplant the written Constitution.

Author : Rogers M. Smith,Richard R. Beeman
Publisher : Democracy, Citizenship, and Company
Page : 336 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2020
Category : History
ISBN : 9780812252347

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Modern Constitutions by Rogers M. Smith,Richard R. Beeman Pdf

The world has seen many new constitutions promising social rights and adopting innovative representative institutions. This book presents examples from the United States, Europe, Africa, and Asia that show these constitutions face many challenges, especially the rise of authoritarian regimes that endanger the rule of law.

Author : Robert A. Dahl
Publisher : Yale University Press
Page : 235 pages
File Size : 44,5 Mb
Release : 2003-11-10
Category : Law
ISBN : 9780300133721

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How Democratic Is the American Constitution? by Robert A. Dahl Pdf

In this provocative book, one of our most eminent political scientists questions the extent to which the American Constitution furthers democratic goals. Robert Dahl reveals the Constitution's potentially antidemocratic elements and explains why they are there, compares the American constitutional system to other democratic systems, and explores how we might alter our political system to achieve greater equality among citizens. In a new chapter for this second edition, he shows how increasing differences in state populations revealed by the Census of 2000 have further increased the veto power over constitutional amendments held by a tiny minority of Americans. He then explores the prospects for changing some important political practices that are not prescribed by the written Constitution, though most Americans may assume them to be so.