Books
Gordon S. Wood, The Creation of the American
Republic
This classic work describes in rich detail the evolution
of American political thought from the Declaration of
Independence to the ratification of the Constitution.
Jack N. Rakove, Original Meanings: Politics
and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution
This volume shows that the framers had serious disagreements
about many elements of the Constitution, including slavery,
the federal system, judicial review, and the "necessary
and proper" clause, and that the document was a product
of many compromises. The author also shows that the Constitution's
meaning was disputed by the 1,500 delegates who attended
state ratifying conventions as well as by the members
of the first Congress.
Films
A More Perfect Union, a 1990 recreation
of the Constitutional Convention shown on PBS.
Web Sites
Explore the Constitution
http://www.constitutioncenter.org/explore/Welcome/index.shtml
Activities from the National Constitution Center.
The Constitution at the National Archives
http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/
constitution.html
This National Archives website contains a copy of the
U.S. Constitution and biographies of the documents fifty-five
framers.
The Constitution And The Amendments
http://www.law.emory.edu/FEDERAL/usconst.html
This searchable site, contains the U.S. Constitution,
the Amendments, and Amendments never ratified, allows
users to easily search by keywords.
Documents from the Continental Congress and the
Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/continental/
This Library of Congress site contains 274 documents relating
to the work of Congress and the drafting and ratification
of the Constitution.
The Federalist Papers
http://www.law.emory.edu/cms/site/index.php?id=3130
An on-line version of the Federalist Papers, the essays
written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison
to rally support for the ratification of the Constitution.
This Constitution: A Bicentennial Chronicle
http://www.apsanet.org/content_8300.cfm
Essays from the American Political Science Association
about the Constitution and other historically relevant
issues. Includes an essay on "The Origins of the
Constitution," by Gordon S. Wood, as well as essays
about the Federalists, the Anti-Federalists, and the Bill
of Rights.
|
|
|
|
|
