Constitutional Brinksmanship: Amending the Constitution by National Convention [Hardcover]

Russell L. Caplan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 8, 1988

In this first systematic study of the legal problems relating to the convention clause, Russell Caplan shows that repeated constitutional crises have given rise to state drives for a national convention nearly every twenty years since the Constitution was enacted. He deftly examines the politics of constitutional brinksmanship between Congress and the states to reveal the ongoing tension between state and federal rights and constitutional tradition and reform.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In this book, Russell Caplan has provided the first modern scholarly volume on the national constitutional convention contemplated in article V. It is an extremely useful addition to the literature of constitutional change."--Constitutional Commentary

"An invaluable, informative volume on a troubling, increasingly important question....Notes, bibliography, and index are an excellent apparatus in this stimulating volume. Highly recommended for all levels."--Choice

"[H]is very readable style makes his careful research accessible to a broad academic audience."--Millennium

"Thoroughly researched, lucid, engagingly written. Caplan has an amazing grasp of both the historical antecedents of Article V and the current political realities of the convention resolution battle. It is 'must' reading for those who have been lured into the 'runaway convention' trap."--Lewis K. Uhler, President, The National Tax-Limitation Committee

"An excellent and timely book. The author raises the key considerations that would inform future debates over calls for a constitutional convention. This makes a significant contribution to public law as studied by political scientists, historians, and law school professors. Highly readable and accessible to students and scholars."--David O'Brien, University of Virginia

About the Author

Russell L. Caplan is at US Department of Justice.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (December 8, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 019505573X
• ISBN-13: 978-0195055733
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,788,668 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Most helpful, March 22, 2010

By 

C. Hooper "choop26" (Asheville, NC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Constitutional Brinksmanship: Amending the Constitution by National Convention (Hardcover)

I am the author of the Next American Revolution: How to Demand Congressional Reform Now. Indispensable to any study of Article V conventions, Caplan's book begins with a brief history of conventions in America. It ends with a discussion of the value of the uncertainty about conventions and how that uncertainty impacts state/federal relationships. In between he discusses the relationship of conventions to other branches of government, the processes of calling a convention, and many other nice nuggets of information. All the while he folds in a discussion of the Founding Fathers' 1787 convention and the political forces guiding the original and any possible modern convention. I'm very pleased to cite him as a reference in my book, because no discussion about Article V could lead Caplan's book out.