Constitutional Amendments
This thought-provoking and interesting text provides a complete examination of each of our nation's 27 Constitutional Amendments. From the prohibition of alcoholic beverages, to slavery, to the voting rights of women, this text illustrates how the US Constitution has changed since its ratification in 1789.
New to each chapter in this edition is a brief summary and timeline of the amendment. In addition, researchers will find 10 new primary documents, and 54 new Supreme Court cases extending the coverage of this edition up to the minute in regard to the controversial issues before the court in recent years. Also NEW to this edition is Appendix D– a list of the 100 Supreme Court cases included in this edition. In addition to new material, other chapter elements have been updated to bring the work up to date.
Section One: Amendment
Starting with the Bill of Right as a whole, each of the 18 Amendment chapter offers:
- A Reprint of the Amendment in its original handwriting
- New Summary offers a clear explanation of the amendment and its ramifications in a few succinct sentences.
- New Timeline allows the reader to follow the proposal and ratification process
- Introduction provides the historical framework surrounding the reasons behind the amendment as it was proposed, and follows its path through ratification.
- Debate in Congress offers actual transcripts of the back and forth from both advocates and opponents.
- Historical Background Documents are reprints of official documents, relevant to the amendment’s passage, including first drafts of the amendment, letters and speeches from politicians who support or oppose the amendment, and Congressional reports, all designed to give the details necessary to fully comprehend the driving force behind each amendment’s progress.
- As Submitted to the States offers a look at how and when the states voted.
Section Two: Original Primary Documents
This section includes newspaper articles that show how public opinion differed in different regions of the country, and Supreme Court cases that ruled based on their interpretation at the time.
Section Three: Supreme Court Cases
Each case chosen represents individuals or entities who feel that their rights, under the amendment, have been violated. The analysis opens with the case’s official docket data, date, decision, and ruling justice, and includes a clear definition of the case.
Section Four: Who’s Who
This section offers biographies and photographs of those individuals who either played a significant role in getting the amendment ratified, or worked to block it. These comprehensive biographies combine personal and professional details, designed to offer a better understanding of why an individual acted as he or she did.
Section Five: Footnotes, Sources, Further Reading
These exhaustive and detailed lists by chapter section make it easy to pick up with research where these volumes leave off.
Section Six: America At That Time
This section sets Constitutional Amendments apart from other exclusively historical reference works. Pulling
from Grey House Publishing’s acclaimed Working Americans series, here is where you will find what was happening in America at the time each amendment was progressing through the steps toward ratification.
Appendixes:
- A: The Constitutional Amendment Process
- B: Ratification of Amendments to the U.S. Constitution
- C: Proposed Amendments to the Constitution
- D: List of Supreme Court Cases by Amendment
Filled with interesting data on the path each Amendment took to be proposed, voted on, and then submitted to the States for ratification, this new reference will inform and educate readers on how our nation has changed and updated the US Constitution. This new resource will be a welcome addition to public, academic and high school libraries, as well as political science and history collections.
Buy the Print and Get Free Online Access on the Popular Salem Press/Grey House Platform!
Constitutional Amendments comes with FREE ONLINE ACCESS on the popular Salem Press/Grey House platform, http://online.salempress.com. With unlimited users and remote access included, your students and researchers can now search this amazing collection of data, anytime & anywhere.