The Constitution Explained - by David L Hudson

About the Book

"A guide the citizenship and the American government, The Constitution Explained takes an even-handed approach to controversial issues and explores various points of view. It sheds a light on the differing and changing interpretations of the many broadly worded key phrases in the Constitution. You'll learn how the Constitution has been adopted to different times and various situations. You'll learn what it does-and does not-promise U.S. citizens. Richly illustrated, it also has a helpful bibliography, glossary, and extensive index. This invaluable resource is designed to help you understand the power and strength of the U.S. Constitution!"--

Book Synopsis

The United States Constitution is a short document, and it is written in general language, which leaves much of the meaning unwritten and open to interpretation. Dig into this important document and watershed in the history of governments!

Explore the history, the various clauses, amendments, and interpretations. Understand your rights (and responsibilities)! From the Constitutional Convention to the creation of the Constitution and its eventual ratification, and to the Bill of Rights and the thorny constitutional issues of today, The Constitution Explained: A Guide for Every American covers the history, our founding fathers' goals, and the varied interpretations of the Constitution that have informed the politics and functioning of the U.S. government. You'll discover ...

How the Constitution makes the United States of America different from many countries around the world because it gives us a peaceful mechanism to resolve governmental issues

The rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizens

An in-depth look at the freedoms enshrined in the Bill of Rights

"The Miracle at Philadelphia" and "the Great Compromise"

The many different methods used to interpret the Constitution

Controversial U.S. Supreme Court picks throughout history and how the size and tenure of the Supreme Court justices has long been a contentious issue

The remarkable evolution of death penalty jurisprudence

The "Bill" Process, Pardon Power, Power of Judicial Review, and other stated and implied powers found in Articles I (Congress), II (Presidency) and III (Judicial)

And much, much more!

A guide to the citizenship and the American government, The Constitution Explained sheds a light on the differing and changing interpretations of the many broadly worded key phrases in the Constitution. You'll learn how the Constitution has been adopted to different times and various situations. You'll learn what it does-and does not--promise U.S. citizens. Richly illustrated, it also has a helpful bibliography, glossary, and extensive index. This invaluable resource is designed to help you understand the power and strength of the U.S. Constitution!

Review Quotes

"It will help non-experts navigate safely amidst the passionate, thorny, and devilishly nuanced debates about its authority with regard to contemporary hot-button issues like gun control, freedom of choice, and the electoral college process. ... Constitution Explained merits an enthusiastic recommendation for collections curated for general readership, secondary school students, and college undergraduates." - Booklist

"The First, Second, and Fifth Amendments are often referred to, but-if social media is any indication-only vaguely understood by most of us. The rest of the Constitution fares mostly worse. To the rescue is this comprehensive, clear work by Hudson, who teaches First Amendment law at Belmont University's College of Law in Nashville. Beyond the Constitution itself, Hudson addresses related topics, such as methods of interpreting the Constitution, controversial Supreme Court picks, and the composition of the court."--Library Journal

"... an engaging layperson's primer on the Constitution's most important aspects--from the preamble to the Bill of Rights to the 14th Amendment. ... expert assessments of this country's foundational document and its effect on history as well as current events. ... breaking down what can be an intimidating document [to] help promote civic literacy at a time when an informed citizenry is as important as ever."--ABA Journal

"... the documents our forefathers signed on are everybody's mind in one way or another these days, "The Constitution Explained: A Guide for Every American" by David L. Hudson, Jr., J.D. is a book to keep handy this summer. In easy-to-understand terms, this book breaks down every one of the articles in the Constitution, with examples, relevant side-information, and explanations of the small details. It's a handy reference, but also just plain fun to read, too."--Bookworm Sez

"This guide explains the US Constitution to everyday Americans. After a brief history of its origins and background, the Constitutional Convention, and the ratification, chapters examine each article of the Constitution, its 27 amendments, and continuing constitutional controversies."--Protoview Book News

"Focusing on the Constitution's history, including the Articles of Confederation, the Philadelphia Convention, the Bill of Rights, and selected other amendments ... Most recent similar titles are limited to the full text of the founding documents ... will interest general readers as well as students of political science, government, and teacher education."--Library Journal review