Why Harry and Walter loves this book
Jill Lepore, a professor of both history and law at Harvard, a regular contributor to the New Yorker and the author of fifteen books, is both prolific and proficient. She pulls off the difficult task of writing in-depth sweeping histories that are both impressively researched while also eminently lively and approachable.
Her latest publication traces the history of the U.S. constitution. Its real focus, though, is on how the document was designed to be amended, the myriad ways it has been amended and the many failed efforts along the way to amend it even more. The end result is a solid rebuff of the theory of “originalism” that tends to interpret the constitution as something basically locked into place in 1789.
Lepore never fails to view topics from unexpected angles. Even if at first you balk at her thrust, her documentary back-up and her lively writing style will, at least,…
1 author picked We the People as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
The U.S. Constitution is among the oldest constitutions in the world-and one of the most difficult to amend. At what cost? In this landmark, lavishly illustrated book, Harvard professor of history and law Jill Lepore argues that the philosophy of amendment is foundational to American constitutionalism. Challenging both originalism and the Supreme Court's monopoly on constitutional interpretation, Lepore argues that the framers never intended for the Constitution to be kept, like a butterfly, under glass but instead expected that future generations would be forever tinkering with it, improving the machinery of government. In a radical account, Lepore offers a sweeping,…
- Coming soon!
