According to the U.S. Supreme Court ("Island Trees School District v. Pico," 457 U.S. 853, 1982), the Constitution presupposes that the free flow of information between the government and the public is essential to maintaining an informed citizenry, which in turn is essential to holding governments accountable. However, local governments…

This paper examines the contributions of Charles Pinckney III to the U.S. Constitution. When the minutes of the Constitutional Convention were released 30 years after the convention, the Pinckney Plan had been lost. The Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams, who had opened the minutes, asked Pinckney to submit his draft for publication. Pinckney…

Discusses the following five myths and suggests ways of using them to teach about the Constitution: (1) the Bill of Rights is the Constitution's heart; (2) reactionary commercial interests created the Constitution to maintain the status quo; (3) the structure is antidemocratic; (4) it sanctioned slavery; and (5) it made the legislature supreme.…

Suggests that the United States Constitution contains nearly universal concepts but also ambiguities which trigger conflicts. Describes the evolution of the document through its framing and through controversy surrounding the Alien and Sedition Acts, state nullification of federal action, and secession. Concludes that the Constitution provides a…

Dedicated to discussing the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution, this conference report presents the texts of six speeches. The presentations include: "Return to First Principles: The Philosophical and Historical Roots of the Bill of Rights" (A. E. Dick Howard); "How Do We Deal with First Principles?" (Herbert Atherton);…

Provides a simulation of the United States Constitutional Convention. The simulation involves students in re-creating the conflicts between the colonies, seeking compromise, and comparing the outcome of the simulation with the actual Constitution. (JDH)

Like most colonial American leaders, John Dickinson considered himself an Englishman with all the ancient rights and privileges such citizenship conferred, and when those rights were abridged by the British Parliament and George III, he was among the first to don a uniform to defend the new nation. This booklet on Dickinson is one in a series on…

The scope of the American Presidency and the office's powers can change from one Chief Executive to the next. The Chief Executive is the Head of State, has Executive Powers and Privileges, is the Chief Negotiator in Treaties, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and leader of his political party. This paper considers European and U.S.…

Argues that the philosophical context noted in Haynes's "How Skewed Is 'The Bell Curve,'" is incomplete; that the Constitution does not treat blacks the same as whites; and that not enough cultural and social context was addressed. The authors characterize the "The Bell Curve" as a wrecking ball for dismantling social programs…

Maintains that the principle of self-restraint that has marked the amending practices since the creation of the U.S. Constitution may be in danger of being forgone. Offers eight standards developed by the Citizens for the Constitution that are designed to weigh the desirability of proposed amendments. (CMK)

The cases of Henry Garnett and Moses Honner bookend the 1850s, a decade of intensifying political crisis that was deeply connected to the institution of slavery. In both court actions, which were tried in the Third Circuit Court, Eastern District, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the defendants were charged with being "fugitives from labor."…

On December 10, 1998, the world celebrated the 50th anniversary of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The U.S. Constitution possesses many of the political and civil rights articulated in the UDHR. The UDHR, however, goes further than the U.S. Constitution, including many social and economic rights as well. This book…

Examines how the timing of Virginia's Ratification Convention twisted the principles of presumption and burden of proof in favor of the Federalists. Applies Richard Whately's rhetorical constructs to actual debates to analyze rhetorical strategies and voting behavior. Argues the need to modify the meaning of presumption and burden of proof. (KEH)

Considers how the Bill of Rights originated and has evolved. Reviews the political views of Alexander Hamilton and James Madison and the nature of their support for the Bill of Rights. Explains nineteenth-century classical liberalism and its revolutionary view that political power inhered in the individual rather than in property ownership. (CH)

Current debates about the Constitution fall into the three following categories: (1) reappraisals of consitutional origins; (2) disagreements on hermeneutical principles used in contemporary applications; and (3) discussions of contemporary events whose consequences for law and political stability could not have been foreseen by the Constitution's…