audiobook A Historian in Exile: Solomon ibn Verga; "Shevet Yehudah;" and the Jewish-Christian Encounter (Jewish Culture and Contexts) by Jeremy Cohen in History

Description

In America’s Constitution; one of this era’s most accomplished constitutional law scholars; Akhil Reed Amar; gives the first comprehensive account of one of the world’s great political texts. Incisive; entertaining; and occasionally controversial; this “biography” of America’s framing document explains not only what the Constitution says but also why the Constitution says it. We all know this much: the Constitution is neither immutable nor perfect. Amar shows us how the story of this one relatively compact document reflects the story of America more generally. (For example; much of the Constitution; including the glorious-sounding “We the People;” was lifted from existing American legal texts; including early state constitutions.) In short; the Constitution was as much a product of its environment as it was a product of its individual creators’ inspired genius.Despite the Constitution’s flaws; its role in guiding our republic has been nothing short of amazing. Skillfully placing the document in the context of late-eighteenth-century American politics; America’s Constitution explains; for instance; whether there is anything in the Constitution that is unamendable; the reason America adopted an electoral college; why a president must be at least thirty-five years old; and why–for now; at least–only those citizens who were born under the American flag can become president. From his unique perspective; Amar also gives us unconventional wisdom about the Constitution and its significance throughout the nation’s history. For one thing; we see that the Constitution has been far more democratic than is conventionally understood. Even though the document was drafted by white landholders; a remarkably large number of citizens (by the standards of 1787) were allowed to vote up or down on it; and the document’s later amendments eventually extended the vote to virtually all Americans. We also learn that the Founders’ Constitution was far more slavocratic than many would acknowledge: the “three fifths” clause gave the South extra political clout for every slave it owned or acquired. As a result; slaveholding Virginians held the presidency all but four of the Republic’s first thirty-six years; and proslavery forces eventually came to dominate much of the federal government prior to Lincoln’s election.Ambitious; even-handed; eminently accessible; and often surprising; America’s Constitution is an indispensable work; bound to become a standard reference for any student of history and all citizens of the United States.From the Hardcover edition.