The Blessings of Liberty: A Concise History of the Constitution of the United States

This concise, accessible text provides students with a history of American constitutional development in the context of political, economic, and social change. Constitutional historian Michael Benedict stresses the role that the American people have played over time in defining the powers of government and the rights of individuals and minorities. He covers important trends and events in U.S. constitutional history, encompassing key Supreme Court and lower-court cases. The volume begins by discussing the English and colonial origins of American constitutionalism. Following an analysis of the American Revolution's meaning to constitutional history, the text traces the Constitution's evolution from the Early Republic to the present day. This fourth edition is updated to include the 2016 election, the Trump administration, the 2020 election, and the first activities of the Biden administration.

Table of Contents:

Preface
Introduction: The American Constitution and American Constitutional History


English Origins of American ConstitutionalismColonial Origins of American ConstitutionalismThe American RevolutionEstablishing New State and Federal ConstitutionsConstitutional Issues in the Early RepublicJudicial Review, Nationalism, and State SovereigntyAndrew Jackson, Democracy, and “State Rights”Slavery and the ConstitutionThe Constitution and the Civil WarReconstruction and the ConstitutionThe Industrial State, Victorian Moralism, Laissez-Faire Constitutionalism, and State RightsThe Progressive EraLiberal versus Conservative Constitutionalism in the 1920sThe New Deal and the ConstitutionLiberal ConstitutionalismLiberal Constitutionalism and EqualityCurbing Presidential PowerThe Revival of Conservative ConstitutionalismThe Supreme Court and Conservative ConstitutionalismThe Erosion of Constitutional ComityThe Conservative Court, the Constitution and Judicial SupremacyPresidentialism and the Security StateConstitution Wars
NEW CHAPTER 24: Constitutional Crisis

Appendix A Articles of Confederation
Appendix B Constitution of the United States
Appendix C Justices of the United States Supreme Court
Appendix D Tables of Cases
Index