Original meanings : politics and ideas in the making of the Constitution / Jack N. Rakove.
1996
KF4541 .R35 1996 (Mapit)
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Title
Original meanings : politics and ideas in the making of the Constitution / Jack N. Rakove.
Author
Rakove, Jack N., 1947-
Edition
1st ed.
ISBN
0394578589
9780394578583
9780394578583
Imprint
New York : A.A. Knopf, 1996.
Language
English
Description
xvi, 439 pages ; 25 cm
Call Number
KF4541 .R35 1996
Summary
What did the U.S. Constitution originally mean, and who has understood its meaning best? Do we look to the intentions of its framers at the Federal Convention of 1787, or to those of its ratifiers in the states? Or should we trust our own judgment in deciding whether the original meaning of the Constitution should still guide its later interpretation? These are the recurring questions in the ongoing process of analyzing and resolving constitutional issues, but they are also questions about the distant events of the eighteenth century. In this book, Jack Rakove approaches the debates surrounding the framing and ratification of the Constitution from the vantage point of history, examining the range of concerns that shaped the politics of constitution-making in the late 1780s, and which illuminate the debate about the role that "originalism" should play in constitutional interpretation.
In answering these questions, Rakove reexamines the classic issues that the framers of the Constitution had to solve: federalism, representation, executive power, rights, and the idea that a constitution somehow embodied supreme law. In each of these cases, Original Meanings suggests that Americans of the early Republic held a spectrum of positions, some drawn from the controversial legacy of Anglo-American politics, others reflecting the course of events since 1776, the politics of the Federal Convention, or the spirited public debate that followed.
In answering these questions, Rakove reexamines the classic issues that the framers of the Constitution had to solve: federalism, representation, executive power, rights, and the idea that a constitution somehow embodied supreme law. In each of these cases, Original Meanings suggests that Americans of the early Republic held a spectrum of positions, some drawn from the controversial legacy of Anglo-American politics, others reflecting the course of events since 1776, the politics of the Federal Convention, or the spirited public debate that followed.
Note
In answering these questions, Rakove reexamines the classic issues that the framers of the Constitution had to solve: federalism, representation, executive power, rights, and the idea that a constitution somehow embodied supreme law. In each of these cases, Original Meanings suggests that Americans of the early Republic held a spectrum of positions, some drawn from the controversial legacy of Anglo-American politics, others reflecting the course of events since 1776, the politics of the Federal Convention, or the spirited public debate that followed.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Awards
Pulitzer Prize, History, 1997.
Series
History (Booknotes)
Record Appears in
On-Campus Resources > Books
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Table of Contents
The perils of originalism
The road to Philadelphia
The Madisonian moment
The politics of constitution-making
The concept of ratification
Debating the Constitution
Federalism
The mirror of representation
Creating the presidency
Rights
Madison and the origins of originalism.
The road to Philadelphia
The Madisonian moment
The politics of constitution-making
The concept of ratification
Debating the Constitution
Federalism
The mirror of representation
Creating the presidency
Rights
Madison and the origins of originalism.