To commemorate Constitution Day and the signing of the United States Constitution in Philadelphia on September 17, 1787, we have assembled a list of books that can help guide students in understanding the constitution.
Penguin Guide to the United States Constitution
This guide includes annotations and accessible explanations from one of America’s most esteemed constitutional scholars. It also features a history of the making of the Constitution with excerpts from The Federalist Papers and a look at crucial Supreme Court cases.
Akhil Reed Amar gives the first comprehensive account of the United States Constitution. Incisive, entertaining, and occasionally controversial, this “biography” of America’s framing document explains not only what the Constitution says but also why the Constitution says it.
Crisis of the Middle-Class Constitution
The Crisis of the Middle-Class Constitution is a tour de force of history, philosophy, law, and politics. It makes a compelling case that inequality is more than just a moral or economic problem; it threatens the very core of our constitutional system.
Decisions and Dissents of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
This short, accessible volume gives the trailblazing Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in her own words. Included here are her most essential writings on gender equality and women’s rights, reproductive health care, and voting and civil rights.
Acclaimed historian and Constitutional expert Ray Raphael explains the origins, impact, and current relevance of the original text and all twenty-seven amendments, with historical context for issues in the news today. This annotated Constitution is the ultimate political fact-checking source for every American.
Here is an accessible collection of key historic writings about presidential impeachment, as part of a new Penguin Classics series on liberty and constitutional rights. This series looks to the U.S. Constitution’s text and values, as well as to American history to discover the best explanations of the constitutional ideals of liberty.
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Original Meanings examines all classic issues that the framers of the Constitution had to solve: federalism, representation, executive power, individual rights, and the idea that the Constitution itself should become supreme law. In the process, Rakove creates an accessible historical context in which students can consider the Constitution anew.
Here is the penetrating story of the political maneuverings and personalities behind the creation of the office of the president. Ray Raphael charts the presidency as it evolved during the administrations of Washington, Adams, and Jefferson, and shows how, given the Constitution’s broad outlines, the president’s powers could easily be augmented but rarely diminished.
