Defining Documents in American History: The Constitution

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The first ten amendments are known as the Bill of Rights and were added at the insistence of Anti-Federalists who sought guarantees of personal freedoms and restrictions on government power. Various other amendments likewise relate to federal authority. The Constitution has remained in force for over two centuries due to the way the framers separated and balanced governmental powers. It is interpreted, supplemented, and implemented by a large body of federal constitutional law, and has influenced the constitutions of other nations.

This set, Defining Documents in American History: The Constitution, offers in-depth analysis of ninety-two documents, including documents of the Founding Fathers, letters, essays, constitutional amendments, speeches, inaugural addresses, and court rulings. These selections help define events surrounding the creation of the Constitution of the United States, and the amendments and important constitutional legal battles that followed. The first volume of this set focuses on the Founding Era Constitutional Debates, The Bill of Rights, the Constitutional Questions in the New Nation, and Commerce, Labor, and Government Authority. The second volume is focused on the topics of Federalism and the Separation of Powers, Citizens, Government and Society, as well as Voting, Elections, and Power.

The material is organized into seven sections, each beginning with a brief introduction that examines the importance of the topic through a variety of historical documents.

The first volume includes essays on the following topics: 

• Founding Era Constitutional Debates 
• The Bill of Rights 
• Constitutional Questions in the New Nation 
• Commerce, Labor and Government Authority

The second volume contains documents on the following topics: 

• Federalism and the Separation of Powers 
• Citizens, Government, and Society
• Voting, Elections, and Power

Each Historical Document is supported by a critical essay, written by historians and teachers, that includes a Summary Overview, Defining Moment, About the Author, Document Analysis, and Essential Themes. An important feature of each essay is a close reading of the primary source that develops broader themes, such as the author’s rhetorical purpose, social or class position, point of view, and other relevant issues. Each essay also includes a Bibliography and Additional Reading section that provides suggestions for further readings and research.

Appendixes in this book include:

• Chronological List which arranges all documents by year;
• Web Resources, an annotated list of websites that offer valuable supplemental resources;
• Bibliography lists of helpful articles and books for further study

About the Series

The Defining Documents series provides in-depth commentary and analysis on the most important primary source documents in the United States and the world. The Defining Documents series is perfect for students, those researching a particular era, or anyone interested in world history. Visit www.salempress.com for more information about additional titles in this series.

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