The Blessings of Liberty: A Concise History of the Constitution of the United States / Edition 2

by Michael Benedict

Overview

This concise, accessible text covers important trends and events in U.S. constitutional history, encompassing key Supreme Court and lower-court cases. The volume begins by discussing the English and colonial origins of American constitutionalism. Following an analysis of the American Revolution's meaning to constitutional history, the text traces the Constitution's evolution from the Early Republic to the present day. The Second Edition addresses the constitutional issues surrounding the impeachment of President Clinton and the Patriot Act, among other recent events.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780618357079
Publisher:	Cengage Learning
Publication date:	09/20/2005
Series:	Houghton Mifflin College United States History Series
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	512
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Michael Les Benedict is a prominent American historian who taught at Ohio State University from 1970 until his retirement in 2005.

Table of Contents

1. English Origins of American Constitutionalism 2. Colonial Origins of American Constitutionalism 3. The American Revolution 4. Establishing New State and Federal Constitutions 5. Constitutional Issues in the Early Republic 6. Judicial Review, Nationalism, and State Sovereignty 7. Andrew Jackson, Democracy, and "State Rights" 8. Slavery and the Constitution 9. The Constitution and the Civil War 10. Reconstruction and the Constitution 11. The Industrial State, Laissez-Faire Constitutionalism, and State Rights 12. The Progressive Era 13. Liberal versus Conservative Constitutionalism in the 1920s 14. The New Deal and the Constitution 15. Liberal Constitutionalism 16. Liberal Constitutionalism and Equality 17. Curbing Presidential Power 18. The Revival of Conservative Constitutionalism 19. The Supreme Court and Conservative Constitutionalism 20. The Clinton Impeachment and the Erosion of Constitutional Comity 21. The Rehnquist Court, Judicial Supremacy, and the Constitution 22. American Constitutionalism in a Changing World