Corwin & Peltason's Understanding The Constitution

by Sue Davis, Jack Walter Peltason

For over fifty years, UNDERSTANDING THE CONSTITUTION has provided an accessible introduction to the document that defines and limits the powers of the United States and the rights of individuals. Thorough and precise, this textbook walks through, clause by clause, the entire Constitution, including all original articles and all subsequent amendments, and explains what the document says, as well as the key Supreme Court cases that define that part of the law. Updated thoroughly every three years, it includes the most recent developments in constitutional law.

Genres: Reference, Politics, Nonfiction, Law, American History

Paperback

First published January 1, 1958

Reviews

[Shelly Mateer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think many people really understand the Constitution or their rights given to them by the Constitution in the United States. If they did, the events of 2020 on would never have been allowed. The shut downs and mandates of 2020 and the years following would never have happened, the people of the United States would not have just gone along with it the way most did.

I recently read a statistic that 57% of Americans haven’t read the Constitution and 26% cannot name a single right protected by the First Amendment- not freedom of religion, free speech, nor freedom of assembly- not a single one.

I can’t remember learning about the Constitution, at least not in any depth, in middle or high school. I was only required to learn about it in college, due to my major, and I can’t say I paid attention. Those days, it didn’t seem like we needed to worry about our constitutionally protected rights, because things worked the way they were supposed to, for the most part. But as the Pandora’s box of 2020 opened, I realized I knew volumes more about the Constitution than the majority of people around me. I have watched as in the past few years our Constitution has been trampled on and disregarded by the people in charge - the people who are supposed to work for US - all under the guise of caring about our health. This little trick was used to lock people down, shutter their livelihoods, restrict their speech and freedom to assemble, control their movement, and to crush religious freedom. It’s been a disgusting time of mandates that go directly against the Constitution, yet many never said a peep, likely because they don’t know anything about the Constitution and the rights it protects.

I think everyone should read the Constitution itself and possibly a book like this one that teaches about it. While some of the books may have their own slant to their analysis, it’s still good to have read the document itself and be able to identify the rights that we should all strive to protect.

[Steve Wehling · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent and concise guide to US Constitutional law.