Democracy and the Constitution Essays by Walter Berns

by Berns, Walter

• ISBN13: 9780844742397
• ISBN10: 0844742392
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-09-05
• Publisher: Aei Press

Summary

For more than half a century, Walter Berns has been a leading authority on the Constitution. This volume collects many of his most important essays on timeless constitutional and political questions.

Author Biography

Walter Berns is the John M. Olin University Professor Emeritus at Georgetown University.

Table of Contents

Introduction	ix
PART I. Constitutionalism	1	(92)
Preface	3	(1)
Ancients and Moderns: The Emergence of Modern Constitutionalism	4	(13)
The Illegitimacy of Appeals to Natural Law in Constitutional Interpretation	17	(12)
Preserving a Living Constitution	29	(13)
First Invocation of Extraconstitutional Principles	29	(2)
``Natural Justice''	31	(3)
The Authority of Judges	34	(2)
The Failure of Congress	36	(2)
The Death of Constitutionalism	38	(2)
Legitimacy and Authority	40	(2)
The Demise of the Constitution	42	(8)
Solving the Problem of Democracy	50	(23)
America's Good Fortune	52	(4)
Principles of Government	56	(3)
A Republican Government	59	(1)
The Model of John Locke	60	(5)
The Role of the Judiciary	65	(3)
A Republican Constitution	68	(2)
A Model Constitution	70	(3)
Constitutionalism and Multiculturalism	73	(20)
PART II. Constitutional and Political Matters	93	(74)
Preface	95	(1)
States' Rights and the Union	96	(4)
Talkers	100	(4)
Why a Vice President	104	(3)
Two-and-a-Half Cheers for the Electoral College	107	(10)
Civil Not Natural Rights	117	(4)
Flag-Burning and Other Modes of Expression	121	(10)
Blue Movies	131	(6)
Hail, New Columbia	137	(4)
Teaching Patriotism	141	(10)
Religion and the Death Penalty	151	(4)
Under God	155	(4)
What Does the Constitution Expect of Jews?	159	(8)
PART III. Academic Matters	167	(30)
Preface	169	(1)
The Assault on the Universities: Then and Now	170	(21)
Trashing Bourgeois America	191	(6)
PART IV. Addendum: Personal Matters	197	(12)
Preface	199	(1)
Remembering Frieda Lawrence	200	(4)
Remembering Herbert Storing	204	(5)
Publication Acknowledgments	209	(2)
Notes	211	(24)
About the Author	235	(2)
Index	237