Spanish Peaks Library District

This seminal collection, written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay under the pseudonym 'Publius,' was a crucial element in the ratification of the United States Constitution. The essays offer profound insights into the motivations and fears of the Founding Fathers, providing readers with a rare glimpse into the intellectual framework that underpins the U.S. political system. The book brilliantly positions the need for a strong,...

This book is an easy-to-understand primer on the civics lessons we should have learned in high school but were never taught.

Beginning with the debates over judicial power in the Constitutional Convention of 1787 to controversial rulings on slavery, racial segregation, free speech, school prayer, abortion, and gay rights, constitutional scholar Peter Irons offers a penetrating look at the highest court in the land. Here are revealing sketches of every justice from John Jay to Samuel Alito, as well as portraits of such legal giants as John Marshall, Oliver Wendell Holmes,...

Discusses the twenty-six amendments to the United States Constitution, how each amendment was added, the people responsible such as George Mason, James Madison, and Carrie Chapman Catt, and also provides for classroom learning activties.

From the former Republican governor of Florida and a leading constitutional litigator comes a timely and provocative look at one of the most divisive issues facing the nation today. The immigration debate has challenged our nation since its founding. But today, it divides Americans more stridently than ever, due to a chronic failure of national leadership by both parties. Here at last is an attainable resolution guided by two core principles: first,...

Many of the political issues we struggle with today have their roots in the US Constitution. Husband-and-wife team Cynthia and Sanford Levinson take readers back to the creation of this historic document and discuss how contemporary problems were first introduced--then they offer possible solutions. Think Electoral College, gerrymandering, even the Senate. Many of us take these features in our system for granted. But they came about through haggling...

"These three 20- minute videos examine key constitutional concepts. The first explains why the nation's framers created the Constitution. The second describes the protection of individual rights by highlighting the Supreme Court case of Gideon v. Wainwright, affirming the right to an attorney. The last explores the separation of powers by examining the Supreme Court case of Youngstown v. Sawyer, a challenge to President Truman's decision to take over...