Re-Framers: 170 Eccentric, Visionary, and Patriotic Proposals to Rewrite the U.S. Constitution

This book is the most comprehensive review of all the major proposals to rewrite, revise, or even replace the U.S. Constitution, covering more than 170 proposals from the nation's beginnings to the present day. The U.S. Constitution was carefully written by a remarkable group of men, but subsequent generations of Americans have devoted enormous time and energy to "improving" it. From colonial times to the present day, Americans of all political persuasions have campaigned to reform, remake, or replace this key document. The growth of the Internet and self-publishing has spawned a virtual explosion of such proposals. This book documents the numerous ideas for change—some practical, some idealistic, and some bordering on fanatical—that reflect America's Constitutional heritage and could shape the nation's future. Re-Framers: 170 Eccentric, Visionary, and Patriotic Proposals to Rewrite the U.S. Constitution sets the stage for this review by describing various prequels to the U.S. Constitution and explaining how the final document emerged at the Constitutional Convention. The subsequent chapters examine many proposed alternatives and revisions to the Constitution from its establishment until the present, illuminating perceived strengths and weaknesses of the current document as well as the pros and cons of possible amendments. Readers ranging from lay citizens who are interested in constitutional issues to historians, political scientists, law professors, and reference librarians will all benefit from this unparalleled examination of proposed constitutional amendment.

Table of Contents:
Alphabetical Listing of Meetings and Authors of Plans Covered in This Book Acknowledgments Introduction 1. American Constitutional Prequels 2. The Writing and Ratification of the U.S. Constitution and Its Emergence from a Number of Alternatives 3. From the Founding through the Civil War 4. From Reconstruction to the Turn of the Century 5. Proposals Occasioned by Progressivism and World War I 6. Proposals from the Great Depression through World War II and Beyond 7. Proposals from the Tumultuous 1960s and 1970s 8. The Reagan and George H. W. Bush Years 9. The Clinton Years: Approaching a New Century and a New Millennium 10. The George W. Bush Years 11. The Barack Obama Years 12. Constitutional Reform in Cyberspace 13. Constitutional Reform and Constitutional Archetypes 14. Analysis and Conclusions Select Bibliography Appendix A: The Constitution of the United States Appendix B: Amendments to the U.S. Constitution Index

About the Author :
John R. Vile, PhD, is a professor of political science and dean of the University Honors College at Middle Tennessee State University.

Review :
Summing Up: Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates; general readers. One of Professor Vile's more interesting projects. . . a valuable resource.