The Blessings of Liberty: A Concise History of the Constitution of the United States

by Michael Les Benedict

Book Overview

This concise, accessible text provides students with a history of American constitutional development in the context of political, economic, and social change. Constitutional historian Michael... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0618357076
• ISBN13: 9780618357079
• Release Date: September 2005
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing Company
• Length: 512 Pages
• Weight: 1.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.6" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Solid Introduction, with Fine Bibliography

This book offers a solid introduction to various aspects of the history of the U.S. Constitution --including its origins, its formation, and its interpretation by the Supreme Court over the past 200-plus years. While it has the feel of a college textbook, I think the book deserves a broader audience. In very clear, if unadorned writing, Benedict covers important cases decided by the Supreme Court, and describes the evolution of judicial doctrine regarding the Bill of Rights, the Fourteenth Amendment, and other provisions of the Constitution. Unlike most books about constitutional history, this one has the added virtue of attempting to relate jurisprudential developments to the broader historical context in which they occurred. Benedict does not try too hard to conceal his own preferences regarding certain decisions of the Court. For example, it is apparent that he is generally supportive of the Warren Court revolution in criminal procedure and other areas of constitutional law, and is opposed to some of the retrenchment that has occurred in the Rehnquist Court. At the same time, Benedict seems to take pains to include citations to legal or historical scholars with whom he disagrees in the excellent bibliographic essays that appear at the end of each chapter of the book. I view this book as a very good reference and as a stimulus to further reading (including Benedict's own book about the Johnson impeachment, which Judge Richard Posner cited in his book regarding the Clinton impeachment).

Solid Book with Excellent Bibliography

I am a lawyer who has argued in the Supreme Court, and in my view this book provides a solid introduction to constitutional history. The book seems to have been intended primarily as a textbook for undergraduate courses, but despite its textbook feel I think it can be of interest to a wider audience. Though not written with a great deal of flair, it offers clear descriptions of many important Supreme Court cases, and provides a coherent overview of the broader developments in the Court's jurisprudence regarding the Bill of Rights, the Fourteenth Amendment, and other provisions of the Constitution. Unlike most constitutional histories, Benedict's book has the added benefit of attempting to relate the Court's decisions to the historical context in which they were made. The author strikes me as scholarly, but at the same time he does have a point of view about a number of the Court's decisions which he makes little effort to conceal. For example, Benedict leaves no doubt that he is generally supportive of the Warren Court revolution, and disfavors some of the retrenchment that has taken place in the Rehnquist Court. That said, he seems to have gone to great pains in the excellent bibliographic essays that appear at the conclusion of each of his chapters to include historical or legal literature that offers different assessments than his own. I regard this book as a very good resource, and a stimulus to further reading (including more detailed studies by Benedict himself).

A Complete and Concise Account

Michael Benedict does an adequate job of providing a complete and concise history of Constitutional history in the United States. Many books on this subject lose their effitiveness because they are filled with legalese. However, Benedict has assembled a book that allows the collegiate reader or anyone interested in history to understand the complex principles that have developed Constitutional principles. He covers topics from Revolutionary Crises, the Civil War, Reconstruction, Trust Busting, The Depression, and many more. This is a book for people interested in the Constitutional Crises and Legislation that has effected the development of the United States we know today.