The American State Constitutional Tradition

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Publisher : University Press of Kansas
ISBN 13 : 0700616896
Total Pages : 447 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (6 download)

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Book Synopsis The American State Constitutional Tradition by : John J. Dinan

Download or read book The American State Constitutional Tradition written by John J. Dinan and published by University Press of Kansas. This book was released on 2006-04-14 with total page 447 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For too long, the American constitutional tradition has been defined solely by the U.S. Constitution drafted in 1787. Yet constitutional debates at the state level open a window on how Americans, in different places and at different times, have chosen to govern themselves. From New Hampshire in 1776 to Louisiana in 1992, state constitutional conventions have served not only as instruments of democracy but also as forums for revising federal principles and institutions. In The American State Constitutional Tradition, John Dinan shows that state constitutions are much more than mere echoes of the federal document. The first comprehensive study of all 114 state constitutional conventions for which there are recorded debates, his book shows that state constitutional debates in many ways better reflect the accumulated wisdom of American constitution-makers than do the more traditional studies of the federal constitution. Wielding extraordinary command over a mass of historical detail, Dinan clarifies the alternatives considered by state constitution makers and the reasons for the adoption or rejection of various governing principles and institutions. Among other things, he shows that the states are nearly universal in their rejection of the rigid federal model of the constitutional amendment process, favoring more flexible procedures for constitutional change; they often grant citizens greater direct participation in law-making; they have debated and at times rejected the value of bicameralism; and they have altered the veto powers of both the executive and judicial branches. Dinan also shows that, while the Founders favored a minimalist design and focused exclusively on protecting individuals from government action, state constitution makers have often adopted more detailed constitutions, sometimes specifying positive rights that depend on government action for their enforcement. Moreover, unlike the federal constitution, state constitutions often contain provisions dedicated to the formation of citizen character, ranging from compulsory schooling to the regulation of gambling or liquor. By integrating state constitution making with the federal constitutional tradition, this path-breaking work widens and deepens our understanding of the principles by which we've chosen to govern ourselves.

The American Constitutional Tradition

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 324 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis The American Constitutional Tradition by : Daniel Judah Elazar

Download or read book The American Constitutional Tradition written by Daniel Judah Elazar and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The American Constitutional Tradition

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780608020389
Total Pages : 305 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (23 download)

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Book Synopsis The American Constitutional Tradition by : Daniel J. Elazar

Download or read book The American Constitutional Tradition written by Daniel J. Elazar and published by . This book was released on 1988 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Looking for Rights in All the Wrong Places

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Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 069115578X
Total Pages : 250 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (911 download)

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Book Synopsis Looking for Rights in All the Wrong Places by : Emily Zackin

Download or read book Looking for Rights in All the Wrong Places written by Emily Zackin and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2013-04-21 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unlike many national constitutions, which contain explicit positive rights to such things as education, a living wage, and a healthful environment, the U.S. Bill of Rights appears to contain only a long list of prohibitions on government. American constitutional rights, we are often told, protect people only from an overbearing government, but give no explicit guarantees of governmental help. Looking for Rights in All the Wrong Places argues that we have fundamentally misunderstood the American rights tradition. The United States actually has a long history of enshrining positive rights in its constitutional law, but these rights have been overlooked simply because they are not in the federal Constitution. Emily Zackin shows how they instead have been included in America's state constitutions, in large part because state governments, not the federal government, have long been primarily responsible for crafting American social policy. Although state constitutions, seemingly mired in trivial detail, can look like pale imitations of their federal counterpart, they have been sites of serious debate, reflect national concerns, and enshrine choices about fundamental values. Zackin looks in depth at the history of education, labor, and environmental reform, explaining why America's activists targeted state constitutions in their struggles for government protection from the hazards of life under capitalism. Shedding much-needed light on the variety of reasons that activists pursued the creation of new state-level rights, Looking for Rights in All the Wrong Places challenges us to rethink our most basic assumptions about the American constitutional tradition.

The American Constitutional Tradition

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Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 1683930487
Total Pages : 253 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (839 download)

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Book Synopsis The American Constitutional Tradition by : H. Lowell Brown

Download or read book The American Constitutional Tradition written by H. Lowell Brown and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2017-05-24 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book is a work of non-fiction. The book is a historical analysis of the evolution of a uniquely American constitutionalism that began with the original English royal charters for the exploration and exploitation of North America. When the U.S. Constitution was written in 1787, the accepted conception of a constitution was that of the British constitution, upon which the colonists had relied in asserting their rights with respect to the imperium, comprised of ancient documents, parliamentary enactments, administrative regulations, judicial pronouncements, and established custom. Of equal significance, the laws comprising the constitution did not differ from other statutes and as a consequence, there was no law endowed with greater sanctity than other legislative enactments. In framing the revolutionary state constitutions following the retreat of the crown governments in the colonies, as well as the later federal Constitution, the Revolutionaries fundamentally reconceived a constitution as being the single authoritative source of fundamental law that was superior to all other statutes, regulations, and judicial decisions, that was ratified by the states and that was subject to revision only through a formal amendment process. This new constitutional conception has been hailed as the great innovation of the revolutionary period, and deservedly so. This American constitutionalism had its origins in the now largely overlooked royal charters for the exploration of North America beginning with the charter granted to Sir Humphrey Gilbert by Elizabeth I in 1578. The book follows the development of this constitutional tradition from the early charters of the Virginia Companies and the covenants entered of the New England colonies, through the proprietary charters of the Middle Atlantic colonies. On the basis of those foundational documents, the colonists fashioned governments that came to be comprised not only of an executive, but an elected legislature and a judiciary. In those foundational documents and in the acts of the colonial legislatures, the settlers sought to harmonize their aspirations for just institutions and individual rights with the exigencies and imperatives of an alien and often hostile environment. When the colonies faced the withdrawal of the crown governments in 1775, they drew on their experience, which they formalized in written constitutions. This uniquely American constitutional tradition of the charters, covenants and state constitutions was the foundation of the federal Constitution and of the process by which the Constitution was written and ratified a decade later.

The Virginia State Constitution

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Author :
Publisher : Oxford Commentaries on the Sta
ISBN 13 : 019935572X
Total Pages : 316 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (993 download)

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Book Synopsis The Virginia State Constitution by : John Dinan

Download or read book The Virginia State Constitution written by John Dinan and published by Oxford Commentaries on the Sta. This book was released on 2014 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Virginia State Constitution examines constitutional amendments, court decisions, attorney general opinions, and legislative deliberations bearing on the development and interpretation of the Virginia Constitution. The book contains a detailed history of the Virginia Constitution, with particular attention to key moments in the state's constitutional development, from the 1776 Constitution through the current 1971 Constitution. The book also includes a provision-by-provision commentary on the evolution and meaning of each section of the Virginia Constitution. The second edition brings this material up to date through mid-2013 and analyzes a number of constitutional developments with important implications for governance. Among the recent amendments covered in this volume is an amendment barring recognition of same-sex marriages and civil unions, and an amendment that undertook a major revision of the provision limiting the eminent domain power. The book examines several recent state court decisions of note, including the state supreme court's first interpretation of the provision guaranteeing "the right of the people to keep and bear arms" and various court decisions limiting the power to levy taxes. The book also analyzes recent attorney general opinions with significant implications for legislative appropriations to non-profit groups, along with various other legislative initiatives. The Oxford Commentaries on the State Constitutions of the United States is an important series that reflects a renewed international interest in constitutional history and provides expert insight into each of the 50 state constitutions. Each volume in this innovative series contains a historical overview of the state's constitutional development, a section-by-section analysis of its current constitution, and a comprehensive guide to further research. Under the expert editorship of Professor G. Alan Tarr, Director of the Center on State Constitutional Studies at Rutgers University, this series provides essential reference tools for understanding state constitutional law. Books in the series can be purchased individually or as part of a complete set, giving readers unmatched access to these important political documents.

State Constitutional Politics

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Author :
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 022653295X
Total Pages : 403 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (265 download)

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Book Synopsis State Constitutional Politics by : John Dinan

Download or read book State Constitutional Politics written by John Dinan and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2018-04-06 with total page 403 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the US Constitution came into force in 1789, it has been amended just twenty-seven times, with ten of those amendments coming in the first two years following ratification. By contrast, state constitutions have been completely rewritten on a regular basis, and the current documents have been amended on average 150 times. This is because federal amendments are difficult, so politicians rarely focus on enacting them. Rather, they work to secure favorable congressional statutes or Supreme Court decisions. By contrast, the relative ease of state amendment processes makes them a realistic and regular vehicle for seeking change. With State Constitutional Politics, John Dinan looks at the various occasions in American history when state constitutional amendments have served as instruments of governance. Among other things, amendments have constrained state officials in the way they levy taxes and spend money; enacted policies unattainable through legislation on issues ranging from minimum wage to the regulation of marijuana; and updated understandings of rights, including religious liberty, equal protection, and the right to bear arms. In addition to comprehensively chronicling the ways amendments shape politics in the states, Dinan also assesses the consequences of undertaking changes in governance through amendments rather than legislation or litigation. For various reasons, including the greater stability and legitimacy of changes achieved through the amendment process, he argues that it might be a more desirable way of achieving change.

Bills of Rights Before the Bill of Rights

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Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3030443019
Total Pages : 389 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (34 download)

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Book Synopsis Bills of Rights Before the Bill of Rights by : Peter J. Galie

Download or read book Bills of Rights Before the Bill of Rights written by Peter J. Galie and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-09-14 with total page 389 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a documentary history of the rights found in the American state constitutions adopted between 1776 and 1790. Despite the rich tradition of rights at the state level, rights in America have been identified almost exclusively with the national Bill of Rights. Indeed, there is no work that provides a comprehensive treatment of the early state declarations of rights. Rather, these declarations have been viewed as halting first steps towards the adoption of the national Bill of Rights in 1791. Bringing together the full text of the rights provisions from the 13 original states and Vermont, this book presents America’s first tradition of rights on its own terms and as part of this country’s heritage of rights. Early chapters will examine the sources of these rights and provide a comparative framework. An introduction to each chapter will review that state’s colonial history, focusing on any charters or legislation related to rights protections that help explain its constitutional provisions. This work will make it possible for students, scholars, and interested citizens to rediscover the first fruits of the American Revolution.

American Sovereigns

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Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 9781139467179
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (671 download)

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Book Synopsis American Sovereigns by : Christian G. Fritz

Download or read book American Sovereigns written by Christian G. Fritz and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2007-10-29 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: American Sovereigns: The People and America's Constitutional Tradition Before the Civil War challenges traditional American constitutional history, theory and jurisprudence that sees today's constitutionalism as linked by an unbroken chain to the 1787 Federal constitutional convention. American Sovereigns examines the idea that after the American Revolution, a collectivity - the people - would rule as the sovereign. Heated political controversies within the states and at the national level over what it meant that the people were the sovereign and how that collective sovereign could express its will were not resolved in 1776, in 1787, or prior to the Civil War. The idea of the people as the sovereign both unified and divided Americans in thinking about government and the basis of the Union. Today's constitutionalism is not a natural inheritance, but the product of choices Americans made between shifting understandings about themselves as a collective sovereign.

The Moral Tradition of American Constitutionalism

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Publisher : Duke University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780822313144
Total Pages : 320 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (131 download)

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Book Synopsis The Moral Tradition of American Constitutionalism by : Jefferson Powell

Download or read book The Moral Tradition of American Constitutionalism written by Jefferson Powell and published by Duke University Press. This book was released on 1993 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Locates the origins of constitutional law in the Enlightenment attempt to control the violence of the state by subjecting power to reason, then shows its evolution into a tradition of rational inquiry embodied in a community of lawyers and judges. Continues with discussion of how the tradition's 19th-century presuppositions about the autonomy and rationality of constitutional argument have been undermined in the 20th century. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The American Constitutional Tradition

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Author :
Publisher : Law, Culture, and the Humaniti
ISBN 13 : 9781683930471
Total Pages : 280 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (34 download)

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Book Synopsis The American Constitutional Tradition by : H. Lowell Brown

Download or read book The American Constitutional Tradition written by H. Lowell Brown and published by Law, Culture, and the Humaniti. This book was released on 2017-06-01 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Closer examination of foundational, revolutionary documents, and of the colonial legislation enacted on the basis of those foundational documents, reveals an American tradition of constitutionalism that the Revolutionaries were able to draw upon when fashioning their constitutions for the newly independent states and for the federal government.

Ex Uno Plura

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Publisher : State University of New York Press
ISBN 13 : 0791486729
Total Pages : 351 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (914 download)

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Book Synopsis Ex Uno Plura by : James T. McHugh

Download or read book Ex Uno Plura written by James T. McHugh and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2012-02-01 with total page 351 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: State constitutions have become increasingly important in light of recent trends in jurisprudence that favor decentralizing the American federal system. Ex Uno Plura uses a political culture approach to explore eight state constitutional traditions. McHugh argues that state jurisprudence is not merely a reflection of the process, values, and decisions found at the federal level, especially through the influence of the Fourteenth Amendment. A close examination of separate state constitutions, including their origins, sociopolitical cultures, and jurisprudence, reveals historically, culturally, and philosophically unique characteristics, each of which will contribute to the ongoing debate concerning American judicial federalism. The states included are Alaska, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Utah, Vermont, and Wyoming.

Growth of American State Constitutions from 1776 to the End of the Year 1914

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 336 pages
Book Rating : 4.A/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Growth of American State Constitutions from 1776 to the End of the Year 1914 by : James Quayle Dealey

Download or read book Growth of American State Constitutions from 1776 to the End of the Year 1914 written by James Quayle Dealey and published by . This book was released on 1915 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Renewing the American Constitutional Tradition

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 154 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (18 download)

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Book Synopsis Renewing the American Constitutional Tradition by : Peter Berkowitz

Download or read book Renewing the American Constitutional Tradition written by Peter Berkowitz and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 154 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The Law of American State Constitutions

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Author :
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780190626068
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (26 download)

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Book Synopsis The Law of American State Constitutions by : Robert Forrest Williams

Download or read book The Law of American State Constitutions written by Robert Forrest Williams and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Work provides complete coverage of American State Constitutional Law. It contrasts the more familiar federal Constitution and explains the importance of the differences. The author then surveys the state constitutions put in place before the adoption of the federal Constitution, together with their influences on the development of the federal Constitution.

The Montana Constitution in the State Constitutional Tradition

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Publisher : Carolina Academic Press LLC
ISBN 13 : 9781531022143
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (221 download)

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Book Synopsis The Montana Constitution in the State Constitutional Tradition by : Anthony Johnstone

Download or read book The Montana Constitution in the State Constitutional Tradition written by Anthony Johnstone and published by Carolina Academic Press LLC. This book was released on 2021 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This casebook offers a record of one state's distinctive constitutional culture, as well as a model for the law school classroom study of state constitutions generally. Its goal is to place the Montana Constitution in the state constitutional tradition to the benefit of both"--

Constitutional Brinksmanship

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Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0195345282
Total Pages : 265 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (953 download)

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Book Synopsis Constitutional Brinksmanship by : Russell L. Caplan

Download or read book Constitutional Brinksmanship written by Russell L. Caplan and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1988-12-08 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this first systematic study of the legal problems relating to the convention clause, Russell Caplan shows that repeated constitutional crises have given rise to state drives for a national convention nearly every twenty years since the Constitution was enacted. He deftly examines the politics of constitutional brinksmanship between Congress and the states to reveal the ongoing tension between state and federal rights and constitutional tradition and reform.