Customer Reviews

The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution of the United States (Bantam Classic)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Compact, thorough, and informative, the Bantam Classics edition of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States is a great book to have around. For students or anyone wanting to understand the factors that led to the writing of both of these important documents, this edition discusses the reasons that led Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and other important politicians in the newly created United States to draw up such charters.

Editor Pauline Maier does a good job of covering the background of events that led to the Declaration and Constitution. Being compact in size, I see this book as being helpful for most high school students or prospective candidates for American citizenship because it can be carried in a pocket, purse, or coat pocket, and can be pulled out whenever necessary. The book's price is also a great incentive to buy a copy, because it won't blow a hole in your budget.

Overall, a great book at a great price!

I purchased this book because of the reviews on Amazon.com and was very disappointed, so much so that I felt that I had to come back to Amazon.com and write this review to help other people avoid making the same mistake that I did by buying this book. I have never written a review on Amazon.com before, even though I buy many books from them, so I hope you'll trust my opinion on this one! The reviews I read all gave the book 4-5 stars, so I bought it, hoping that it would help shed light on the documents, the founding fathers, etc... But instead the narrative portion of the book was simply filler -- it was long, boring, and a complete waste of time and money! After I bought the book I went back to Amazon.com and re-read the reviews and found that they were actually referring to the documents included in the book (the constitution & declaration of independence), not the author's narrative! Since there are many better books which include the documents, and free copies on the internet as well, save your money and don't buy this book!

For the record, the best book that I have ever read on the constitution I bought from Amazon.com as well. It was entitled "The U.S. Constitution & Fascinating Facts About It" and cost me $2.95. It was a pocket sized guide written by a school teacher, and gives you all of the documents plus information on what the founding fathers were really like, and lots of other fascinating facts which make for very enjoyable reading. The facts help put the documents into context, and I learned more from this little book in a few hours than from most of the other things I have ever read on the constitution!

I hope my review is helpful!

Every American should know the contents of the The U.S. Constitution and review it annually.

The Constitution defines, empowers, and limits the U.S. government. After the 13 colonies had issued the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, they needed to write the Constitution in order to define the Government of the United States of America. The Constitution was signed by 39 delegates at the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787. The oldest person to sign the Constitution was Benjamin Franklin (81). The youngest was Jonathan Dayton of New Jersey (26).

Some members of the Constitutional Convention refused to sign the final document because they were fearful of an all-powerful government and wanted a bill of rights added to protect the rights of the people. The states refused to ratify the Constitution until the Bill of Rights was added. Hence the Bill of Rights became the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution in 1789.

The original U.S. Constitution was 6 pages and contained 4,400 words. It is written in plain English to be understood by all Americans. It is the oldest and the shortest written constitution of any government in the world.

Constitution of the United States 1791 (Summary)

Preamble

The Preamble defines those roles and responsibilities that are unique to the Federal Government. Justice, common defense, general welfare and tranquility, and liberty.

Articles

The first 3 articles of the Constitution define the branches of Government:

Article 1 defines the Legislature, also called Congress, comprised of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Article 2 defines the powers and duties of the Executive Branch (President), and the rules for impeachment
Article 3 covers the Judicial Power embodied in the Supreme Court, including the definition of treason.
Article 4 covers States rights.
Article 5 describes how the Constitution can be amended.
Article 6 relates to Constitutional supremacy.
Article 7 describes how the Constitution will be approved by the states.

Bill of Rights (first ten amendments) 1791

1 - Freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition
2 - Militia and the right to keep and bear arms
3 - Housing of soldiers
4 - Freedom from unreasonable search and seizure
5 - Due process
6 - Speedy trial
7 - Trial by jury
8 - Cruel and unusual punishment
9 - Rights
10 - Powers not defined
The following Amendments have been added to the Constitution:
11 - Judicial powers (1795)
12 - Election of president and vice-president (1804)
13 - Slavery abolished (1865)
14 - Limits upon states (1868)
15 - Right to vote not limited by race (1870)
16 - Income tax (1913)
17 - Election of senators (1913)
18 - Prohibition of alcohol (1919) [repealed by 21st Amendment (1933)]
19 - Right to vote given to women (1920)
20 - Terms of office of president, vice president, senators, and representatives (1933)
21 - Repeal of Prohibition (Amendment 18) (1933)
22 - Presidency limited to two terms (1951)
23 - Presidential vote in D.C. (1961)
24 - No poll tax (1964)
25 - Presidential disability and succession (1967)
26 - Voting age lowered to 18 (1971)
27 - Congressional pay (proposed in 1789, ratified in 1992)

Check out the U.S. Constitution. You will find it both interesting and informative.

Our Country is the greatest nation the world has ever seen. The tenets of this representative republic are beautifully and most eloquently presented for us, the people--individual and collective. Despite the venomous attacks on Congress and the philandering of the President, our Nation is founded in these principles which are a sacred trust to us and our children. To ensure the growth and prosperity of our Nation, the least we can do is be informed. The truths of these documents cannot be overlooked, by pollution of invented reality editorials, polls, and those who remain ignorant. Read the documents--as they were written, and sparingly heed the commentary. The only thing preventing a 5 star review is the excessive introduction and commentary. God Bless America!

You will want your own copy.

I really should be reviewing the U.S. Constitution its self. But you can get copies almost anywhere including online. So the real difference comes in the introduction. Copies without any kibitzing are not bad; but try to find this in book form. Other versions go so far as to tell you that you are about to read outdated rhetoric. I do not need to read that before the Constitution.

With the Bantam Classic version we are treated to an introduction by an American Revolutionary scalar, Pauline Maier author of "Resistance to Revolution - Colonial radicals and the development of American opposition to Britain, 1765-1776."

What is good about the introduction is no preaching or soap box agenda. We get to see how the documents were drafted and molded into the constitution we all know. In the actual body of the document there are asterisks showing where the later amendments apply.

Contents:
INTRODUCTION by Pauline Maier
NOTES TO THE INTRODUCTION
THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
THE CONSTITUTUON OF THE UNITED STATES
THE AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
DATES TO REMEMBER
INDEX TO CONSTTIUTION AND AMENDMENTS

I keep a paperback copy in my library and a Kindle copy (Text-to-Speech: Enabled) for on the go I plug it into the car radio. Amazon will send a free Kindle sample.

Liberty! The American Revolution

I was looking for a token gift for a friend who recently became a US citizen - what's more appropriate than these important documents? YES, she could have found them online for free. YES, there are copies out there that are lovelier or have higher print qualities. However, I wanted her to have something that she could read, easily, when she wanted, but mostly I wanted her to have something that told her I was thinking of her.

Ultimately, what makes this volume worthwhile is the price, bar none. If you're willing to spend more, you'll get the same exact text, with a nicer presentation. If you value, well, value, then this is the edition for you.

(I also got her a "Kiss me I'm an American" t-shirt!)

If you are the least bit interested in politics and why it happens the way it does, begin here, of course! Great price, informative historical background of the document included.

The founders were men of the Enlightenment and the ideas they held led to the greatest advance in the history of civilization: the creation of the United States of America. The vehicles for their earth-changing achievement were two primary documents: The Declaration of Independence of 1776 and the Constitution of 1787.

Every citizen should have a copy of these two documents. As an act of proud affirmation, they should make the effort to understand the ideas they contain. For within these two documents lay the very foundations of freedom in a civil society: the principle of individual rights, representative government, and limited powers.

If there is a child in your life that is important to you-give them this book, and take the time to sit with them and read it. I guarantee you both will be richer for the experience.

It is under three dollars. It has full text of the two most important documents in our countries social contract. What more do you want? For under three dollars?

As our school system pushes aside the tenets of our founding fathers in favor of youtube projects and wikipedia, this is a must read for all eligible voters and school kids alike.