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Perhaps the most essential distillation of the Founders' vision of America, The Federalist Papers consist of a series of 85 essays in favor of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Attributed to Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison, the essays tackle an array of topics that are just as relevant today as they were more than 200 years ago, including human rights, republican governance, the proper scope and jurisdiction of a
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"Whatever your party affiliation or politics, your beliefs need to start with an understanding of the Constitution, the 1789 document on which our government is based. Why are there three branches of government? What is executive privilege? What is meant by the Bill of Rights? This insightful guide answers these important questions and many others. It couldn't be more necessary and relevant in these complicated times. Includes the complete text of...
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Ronald Dworkin, an American who is professor of jurisprudence at Oxford University, is regarded as one of the most influential philosophers of law in the English-speaking world. His views on the current debate over the meaning of the Constitution today are so robust and controversial, they make waves on both sides of the Atlantic. In this program, Dworkin shares his ideas on the Constitution and its meaning to Americans today.
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Students at St. John's College in Annapolis, MD, challenge Adler, the noted philosopher, author, and educator, on his views about fundamental ideas in the Constitution and their relevance today. Adler discusses Americans' lack of familiarity with the Constitution, the checks and balances provided by the Supreme Court, "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" and the welfare state, foreign policy, and legislating morality.
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In 1787, the American union was in disarray. The incompatible demands of the separate states threatened its existence; some states were even in danger of turning into the kind of tyranny they had so recently deposed. A truly national government was needed, one that could raise money, regulate commerce, and defend the states against foreign threats–without becoming as overbearing as England. So thirty-six-year-old James Madison believed. That...
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This program traces the history of the U.S. legal system from its origins in English common law; through the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and amendments; to current legislative and judicial processes. It defines such terms as habeas corpus, voir dire, and stare decisis and explores Supreme Court decisions.
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Lee tells the dramatic, little-known stories behind six of the Constitution's most indispensable provisions. He shows their rise and fall, and he makes vividly clear how nearly every abuse of federal power today is rooted in neglect of this lost constitution.
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"A groundbreaking work that retells modern history through the rise and spread of written constitutions-some enlightened, many oppressive-to every corner of the globe. Filling a crucial void in our understanding of world history, Linda Colley reconfigures the rise of the modern world over three centuries through the advent of written constitutions. Her absorbing work challenges accepted narratives, focusing on rulers like Catherine the Great, who...
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The Magna Carta is revered around the world as the founding document of Western liberty. Its principles--even its language--can be found in our Bill of Rights and in the Constitution. But what was this strange charter and how did it gain such legendary status? Historian Dan Jones takes us back to the turbulent year of 1215, when, beset by foreign crises and cornered by a growing domestic rebellion, King John reluctantly agreed to fix his seal to a...
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"[This book] tells the ... story of our Constitution through the eyes of ten extraordinary individuals--some renowned, like Alexander Hamilton and Woodrow Wilson, and some forgotten, like James Wilson and Ida B. Wells-Barnett. [The author] brings to life their struggles over our supreme law from its origins in revolutionary America to the era of Obama and Trump. Sweeping from settings as diverse as Gold Rush California to the halls of Congress, and...
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In this program, former Attorney General Edwin Meese and Judge Robert Bork discuss the "original intent" of the framers of the Constitution-on abortion, presidential powers, and big government. Edwin Meese was Ronald Reagan's top advisor from his gubernatorial days through the White House. He discusses Presidential power and how Congressional law applies-or doesn't apply-to the Chief Executive. Robert Bork, a Reagan nominee to the Supreme Court, discusses...