Andrew Cunningham McLaughlin (1861-1947) was a respected American historian who became President of the American Historical Association in 1914. In particular, he became an advocate for historians giving advice and guidance on current world events and toured the United Kingdom to support its efforts in World War I.
In the 1930s, McLaughlin wrote A Constitutional History of the United States, which won the 1936 Pulitzer Prize for History. McLaughlin’s magnum opus looks at some of the British practices, such as writs of assistance, that led to the formation of certain protections in the Bill of Rights, as well as colonial constitutions and governance before the Revolution. From there, it describes in descriptive detail different states’ constitutions and the rights protected in the U.S. Constitution, covering landmark legislation (Alien and Sedition Acts), cases (Dred Scott), and events (Civil War and Reconstruction), covering the early 20th century as well.
This edition of A Constitutional History of the United States is specially formatted with a Table of Contents.
