Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Palgrave Macmillan

The United States Constitution

One Document, Many Choices

  • Book
  • © 2015

Overview

Authors:
  1. John R. Vile
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this book

Log in via an institution
eBook USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

Licence this eBook for your library

Institutional subscriptions

Table of contents (10 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages I-XI
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Institutional Choices and the Preamble: It’s a Real-World Document, Not a Utopian Blueprint

    • John R. Vile
    Pages 1-21

  3. The Legislative Branch: It’s a Congress, Not a Parliament

    • John R. Vile
    Pages 23-56

  4. The Executive Branch: It’s Headed by an Accountable Elected Official, Not a King or a Dictator

    • John R. Vile
    Pages 57-73

  5. The Judicial Branch: It’s a Group of Lawyers, Not Platonic Guardians

    • John R. Vile
    Pages 75-86

  6. The Nation and the States: The Arrangement Is Federal, Not Confederal or Unitary

    • John R. Vile
    Pages 87-98

  7. The Constitutional Amending Process: It’s Difficult because It’s Designed to Preserve the Constitution as Fundamental Law

    • John R. Vile
    Pages 99-108

  8. The Bill of Rights and Freedom of Belief and Expression: They Provide for Liberty, Not License

    • John R. Vile
    Pages 109-123

  9. The Bill of Rights, the Right to Security, and the Rights of the Accused and the Convicted: They Protect the Guilty in Order to Protect the Innocent

    • John R. Vile
    Pages 125-138

  10. Equality and the Thirteenth through Fifteenth Amendments: It’s an Equality of Opportunity, Not a Guarantee of Equal Results

    • John R. Vile
    Pages 139-154

  11. Postscript: A Time for Reflection

    • John R. Vile
    Pages 155-156

  12. Back Matter

    Pages 157-203
    Download chapter PDF
Back to top

Keywords

About this book

This book examines the U.S. Constitution by focusing on its origins in Western political thought and its organization and subsequent amendments. It describes the document as a series of choices among alternative governmental institutions that are designed to provide national security and secure ordered liberty.

Reviews

Selected by Choice magazine as an "Outstanding Academic Title" for 2016

“The book is organized around each article of the Constitution, describing the powers of Congress, the president, and the judiciary, as well as how federalism was supposed to work and how amendments were to occur. … Excellent for collections on American law and politics. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels.” (D. Schultz, Choice, Vol. 53 (5), January, 2016)

“This book is absolutely an indispensable read for anyone student, scholar, or general reader wanting to understand why our Founding Fathers created the Constitution the way they did and how it was supposed to work. Vile is one of the most insightful contemporary scholars on the American Constitution and this book is perhaps the best work so far he has written on this subject.” (David Schultz, Professor Political Science and Law, Hamline University, USA)

“The United States Constitution: One document, Many choices is informative and intellectually stimulating. The book provides valuable insights into the electoral college, presidential leadership, and related constitutional controversies. Those who appreciate constitutional law will find much to enjoy in the latest work by this prolific scholar.” (David Hudson, Nashville School of Law, Tennessee)

“This book belongs in the hands of everyone who wants to understand the Constitution as it should be understood: the result of choices among viable alternatives considered and debated by its Framers. Through a series of chapters posing questions about these alternatives and their relation to the finished document, the author has created a stimulating dialogue of inquiry about the Constitution that will fully engage readers while challenging their assumptions concerning its nature and significance.” (Donald Whitefield, Great Books Foundation, USA)

About the author

John R. Vile is Professor of Political Science and Honors Dean at Middle Tennessee State University, USA. He is the author, editor, and contributor to numerous books on the United States Constitution, the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the Constitutional amending process, Supreme Court decisions, and civil rights and liberties.

Bibliographic Information

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Back to top

Search

Navigation