The Annotated U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence

* A Note to the Reader Introduction The Declaration of Independence The U.S. Constitution Amendments to the Constitution * A Calendar of Events * Further Reading * Credits * Acknowledgments

Jack N. Rakove is the William R. Coe Professor of History and American Studies and Professor of Political Science at Stanford University and author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution.

[A] probing commentary on America's founding documents...Rakove's is a lucid, thought-provoking guide to the contents--and discontents--of our national charters. Publishers Weekly 20090914 [A] carefully laid out annotation that's accessible to general readers as well as high school and college students. [Rakove's] extended introduction provides a readable and instructive analysis of how the writing of the Constitution progressed, especially on matters concerning representation, executive power, and creation of the amendments. His annotations often rely upon contemporary usage and meaning from the time of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution--useful for students to understand--and he compares such usage to other documents of the time...Highly recommended for general readers and undergraduates who want an initial understanding of the Declaration and Constitution. -- Steven Puro Library Journal 20091015 With more decisions to come on the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court's redefinition of campaign--finance law in the context of the First Amendment, [this book is a] timely reminder that Americans too rarely read, much less consider, their nation's most important documents as closely as they should...[It's an] important addition to a vital and ongoing American debate. Whatever one thinks the Constitution and Declaration of Independence mean, there's value in revisiting those texts, reviewing how they've been construed throughout U.S. history and reconsidering arguments for and against differing interpretations. [This book] invites Americans to do just that--and to renew their appreciation for the genius of those who drafted the blueprints for U.S. freedom and republican government. -- Alan Wallace Pittsburgh Tribune-Review 20100131 Provide[s] some essential civic education...Rakove's inclusion of (and comments on) the Declaration of Independence is useful, and his extensive introduction is especially valuable. Rakove is one of the most gifted writers among