
The Founding Fathers Guide to the Constitution
Skyhorse Publishing · Print & ebook · May 20, 2013
A History pick for readers exploring The Founding Fathers Guide to the Constitution.
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- Who it’s for
- A sharply argued look at constitutional meaning, grounded in how the founding generation debated its terms.
- Themes
- Constitutional interpretation, Limits on federal power, Founding-era political thought
- Genres
- Constitutional Theory, Revolutionary America (1775-1800), Congress & Legislatures
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For younger readers: Fault Lines in the Constitution, What Is the Constitution?, We the Kids
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Start with this bookAbout this book
What Does the Constitution Really Mean? Are liberals right when they cite the elastic” clauses of the Constitution to justify big government? Or are conservatives right when they cite the Constitution’s explicit limits on federal power? The answer lies in a more basic question: How did the founding generation intend for us to interpret and apply the Constitution?
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Professor Brion McClanahan, popular author of The Politically Incorrect Guide™ to the Founding Fathers, finds the answers by going directly to the sourceto the Founding Fathers themselves, who debated all the relevant issues in their state constitutional conventions. In The Founding Fathers’ Guide to the Constitution, you’ll discover: - How the Constitution was designed to protect rather than undermine the rights of States - Why Congress, not the executive branch, was meant to be the dominant branch of governmentand why the Founders would have argued for impeaching many modern presidents for violating the Constitution - Why an expansive central government was the Founders’ biggest fear, and how the Constitutionand the Bill of Rightswas designed to guard against it - Why the founding generation would regard most of the current federal budgetincluding stimulus packages”as unconstitutional - Why the Founding Fathers would oppose attempts to reform” the Electoral College - Why the Founding Fathers would be horrified at the enormous authority of the Supreme Court, and why the Founders intended Congress, not the Court, to interpret federal law Authoritative, fascinating, and timely, The Founding Fathers’ Guide to the Constitution is the definitive layman’s guide to America’s most important—and often willfully misunderstood—historical document.
Reading the Constitution
A sharply argued look at constitutional meaning, grounded in how the founding generation debated its terms.
Come here for
- State conventions and the Founders’ arguments on federal power
- Questions about Congress, the courts, and constitutional limits
Expect
- A direct, interpretive case—not a neutral survey
- Historical debates brought to bear on present-day disputes
Where it sits
| Constitutional Theory | 52% |
|---|---|
| Revolutionary America (1775-1800) | 30% |
| Congress & Legislatures | 20% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Revolutionary America (1775-1800)
- Authors
- Brion McClanahan
- Publisher
- Skyhorse Publishing
- Published
- May 20, 2013
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Constitutional interpretation · Limits on federal power · Founding-era political thought
- Reading lane
- Revolutionary America (1775-1800)