Synopses & Reviews
Constitutional law expert Paul Finkelman offers readers a carefully researched and highly readable look at the document that is the blueprint of American democracy. He begins by showing how ineffective the Confederation government was in dealing with the problems facing the newly independent republic: no uniform laws among states, no courts to settle arguments, no power to collect taxes. Then the reader sits in on the Constitutional Convention, where arguments about how to balance power between large and small states and how to count slaves as part of the population are among the key issues. They will learn about the Virginia Plan, the New Jersey Plan, the Connecticut Plan, and the Three-fifths Compromise, and meet some of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists who passionately argued the Constitution's pros and cons until it was finally ratified and became the law of the land.
Includes the complete text of The Constitution.
About the Author
Prior to joining the University of Tulsa College of Law in 1999, Paul Finkelman was the John F. Seiberling Professor of Law at the University of Akron Law School. In addition, he previously taught at Cleveland Marshall, Hamline, the University of Miami, Chicago-Kent, Brooklyn Law, and the University of Texas-Austin. A specialist in American legal history, race and the law, and first amendment issues, Mr. Finkelman is the author or editor of numerous articles and books, including (for adults): March of Liberty: A Constitutional History of the United States; Baseball and the Legal Mind; and Slavery and the Founders: Race and Liberty in the Age of Jefferson.