Preserving the Constitution: Essays on Politics and the Constitution in the Reconstruction Era

by Michael Les Benedict

Book Overview

"Americans' ideas about constitutional liberty played a crucial role in the history of Reconstruction. They provided the basis for the Republican program of equal rights; ironically, they also set the limits to that program and reduced the prospects for its success. Americans were as concerned with preserving the Constitution as they were with changing it to protect liberty and equal rights. These two commitments were in profound tension. The question...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0823225534
• ISBN13: 9780823225538
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: Fordham University Press
• Length: 316 Pages
• Weight: 1.29 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.1" x 9.3"