Original Meanings

by RAKOVE, JACK N.

• ISBN13: 9780679781219
• ISBN10: 0679781218
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 1997-05-27
• Publisher: Vintage

Summary

From abortion to same-sex marriage, today's most urgent political debates will hinge on this two-part question: What did the United States Constitution originally mean and who now understands its meaning best? Rakove chronicles the Constitution from inception to ratification and, in doing so, traces its complex weave of ideology and interest, showing how this document has meant different things at different times to different groups of Americans.

Author Biography

Jack N. Rakove is the author of six books, including Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution, which won the Pulitzer Prize in History, and Revolutionaries: A New History of the Invention of America, which was a finalist for the George Washington Prize. Rakove is the editor of seven other books, including The Unfinished Election of 2000.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Preface
The Perils of Originalism	p. 3
The Road to Philadelphia	p. 23
The Madisonian Moment	p. 35
The Politics of Constitution-Making	p. 57
The Concept of Ratification	p. 94
Debating the Constitution	p. 131
Federalism	p. 161
The Mirror of Representation	p. 203
Creating the Presidency	p. 244
Rights	p. 288
Madison and the Origins of Originalism	p. 339
Coda	p. 366
A Note on Sources	p. 369
Notes	p. 371
Index	p. 421
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