About this item
In America’s Constitution, one of this era’s most accomplished constitutional law scholars, Akhil Reed Amar, gives the first comprehensive account of one of the world’s great political texts. Incisive, entertaining, and occasionally controversial, this “biography” of America’s framing document explains not only what the Constitution says but also why the Constitution says it. We all know this much: the Constitution is neither immutable nor perfect. Amar shows us how the story of this one relatively compact document reflects the story of America more generally. (For example, much of the Constitution, including the glorious-sounding “We the People,” was lifted from existing American legal texts, including early state constitutions.
About the Author
Akhil Reed Amar is Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University, where he teaches constitutional law at both Yale College and Yale Law School. His work has won awards from both the American Bar Association and the Federalist Society. His books and articles have been favorably cited by Supreme Court justices across the spectrum in over 40 cases--tops in his generation--and he regularly testifies before Congress at the invitation of both Republicans and Democrats. He is Yale's only currently active professor to have won the University's unofficial triple crown--the Sterling Chair for scholarship, the DeVane Medal for teaching, and the Lamar Award for alumni service. He has written widely for popular publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Time, and The Atlantic. He was an informal consultant to the popular TV show, The West Wing, and his work has been showcased on more recent TV shows, including the Colbert Report, Up with Chris Hayes, Tucker Carlson Tonight, Morning Joe, AC360, Your World with Neil Cavuto, 11th Hour with Brian Williams, Fox News @Night with Shannon Bream, Fareed Zakaria GPS, Erin Burnett Outfront, and Constitution USA with Peter Sagal. His most recent book, The Words That Made Us: America's Constitutional Conversation, 1760-1840, tells the epic story of how America became America. It is due out in May, 2021.
