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Title: Original Meanings : Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution by Jack N. Rakove ISBN: 0-679-78121-8 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 27 May, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $17.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.82 (11 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Thorough scholarly analysis, but a challenging read
Comment: Upon finishing Rakove's work, I was reminded of Albert Einstein's remark, "Don't worry about your problems with mathetmatics; I can assure you that mine are far greater." Rakove is a brilliant historian, and his book "Original Meanings" is full of crucial insight which, if widely conveyed, would fundamentally change our constitutional debate. After reading Rakove's book, I can never use the term "Founding Fathers" in the popular sense. These men emerge from Rakove's pages as nervous, uncertain, quarrelsome; far from the mythic figures we have created in high school textbooks. Rakove discusses issues that were highly relevant to the Framers but have been essentially lost to history, and he discusses them well and thoroughly. I studied the Constitution for three years in law school, and Rakove brought a wealth of new material to my eyes.
Unfortunately, Rakove seems to have written this book for my professors, not for me. This is not to say that he does not write well. For his audience, his writing is extraordinary, but his chosen audience is assuredly not a broad one. His diction often left me casting about for my dictionary. I had one professor who would never use a plain Engish phrase when an obscure Latin phrase would do half as well. Rakove isn't in his class, but only because he shuns Latin. Perhaps I am only indicating my own ignorance, but I don't come across the word "abjure" every day, and Rakove included dozens of such speed bumps in his narrative. Rakove's word choice keeps "Original Meanings" out of the realm of remarkable books, but his insight, attention to detail, and willingness to challenge the myths of original intent will force every constitutional scholar to add this text to his or her library.
Rating: 4
Summary: Good book, great information, not well written
Comment: This is an excellent book, the information and insight contained within is excellent. However, while it is apparent the author is an extremely intelligent historian, he is just as clearly not a great writer. Thus, the reading is slow going, but if you are interested in the founding of the US Constitution and the debates and desires of the founders, this book is a must read.
Rating: 5
Summary: Original Meanings: Politics, Ideas and the Constitution
Comment: Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution written by Jack N. Rakove is a book wonderfully appointed with documentation and source material about the issues that confronted and were in contention that spirited public debate about the Federal Convention of 1787.
I must say this, that this book was an excellent read, but I believe that the intent of the author was that this should not be your first read into how the U. S. Constitution was framed. This book delves into the time of the framers, as classic issues such as representation, rights, federalism were being debated. Federalist and Anti-Federalist issues are both in representation in this book and are treated equally. This book gives some revealing looks into the men who participated in the framing process, such as George Washington, James Wilson, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman and James Madison.
These men along with others hashed out an originalism, only after debate about concerns with the constitution itself. As the author works through the ongoing process of analyzing questions and finally resolving constitutional issues, we see that this process had to resolve many issues and later a compromise was worked out, as all issues were debated, some were not resolved to a resolute finality... salvery, women's voting rights and other issues were later resolved.
The author makes a major contribution to the understanding of the Constitution even thought many may feel they know about how and why the Constitution was written, true understanding of the "Original Meanings" gives us an accessible path to the political problems embedded within our Constitution. This book is an outstandingly good read and well concieved by a talented and thoughtful historian.
Those seeking the true meaning of the Constitution should NOT overlook this book as it is thoughtful and has careful scholarly analysis.
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Title: The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution by Bernard Bailyn ISBN: 0674443020 Publisher: Belknap Pr Pub. Date: March, 1992 List Price(USD): $19.50 |
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Title: The Creation of the American Republic 1776-1787 (Published for the Omohundro Institute of Early American History and culture, Williamsburg, Virginia) by Gordon S. Wood, Institute of Early American History and ISBN: 0807847232 Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Pr Pub. Date: April, 1998 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: James Madison and the Creation of the American Republic (2nd Edition) by Jack Rakove ISBN: 0321087976 Publisher: Pearson Longman Pub. Date: 09 July, 2001 List Price(USD): $24.67 |
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Title: The Radicalism of the American Revolution by Gordon S. Wood ISBN: 0679736883 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 02 March, 1993 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: American Scripture : Making the Declaration of Independence by Pauline Maier ISBN: 0679779086 Publisher: Vintage Pub. Date: 26 May, 1998 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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