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A Machine That Would Go of Itself: The Constitution in American Culture
Contributor(s): Kammen, Michael (Author)

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 ISBN: 141280583X     ISBN-13: 9781412805834
Publisher: Routledge
OUR PRICE: $50.30  

Binding Type: Paperback - See All Available Formats & Editions
Published: November 2006
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Annotation: Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Michael Kammen examines the cultural impact of the Constitution on the United States, explores the Constitutionas place in the public consciousness and its role as a symbol in American life from ratification in 1788 to our own time, and expounds on what the Constitution has meant to the American people (perceptions and misperceptions, uses and abuses, knowledge and ignorance), Kammen shows that although there are recurrent declarations of reverence for our American "Ark of the Covenant," most of us neither know nor fully understand our Constitution.
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- Political Science | American Government - Judicial Branch
- Political Science | Law Enforcement
Dewey: 342.730
LCCN: 2006044503
Physical Information: 1.45" H x 6.06" W x 9.06" L (2.05 lbs) 578 pages
Features: Bibliography, Illustrated, Index, Table of Contents
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:
In this volume, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Michael Kammen explores the U.S. Constitution's place in the public consciousness and its role as a symbol in American life, from ratification in 1788 to our own time. As he examines what the Constitution has meant to the American people (perceptions and misperceptions, uses and abuses, knowledge and ignorance), Kammen shows that although there are recurrent declarations of reverence most of us neither know nor fully understand our Constitution. How did this gap between ideal and reality come about? To explain it, Kammen examines the complex and contradictory feelings about the Constitution that emerged during its preparation and that have been with us ever since. He begins with our confusion as to the kind of Union we created, especially with regard to how much sovereignty the states actually surrendered to the central government. This confusion is the source of the constitutional crisis that led to the Civil War and its aftermath. Kammen also describes and analyzes changing perceptions of the differences and similarities between the British and American constitutions; turn-of-the-century debates about states' rights versus national authority; and disagreements about how easy or difficult it ought to be to amend the Constitution. Moving into the twentieth century, he notes the development of a "cult of the Constitution" following World War I, and the conflict over policy issues that persisted despite a shared commitment to the Constitution.

Contributor Bio(s): Kammen, Michael: -

Michael Kammen is the Newton C. Farr Professor of American History and Culture at Cornell University. His books include Spheres of Liberty: Changing Perceptions of Liberty in American Culture and A Season of Youth: The American Revolution and the Historical Imagination. He was awarded the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for People of Paradox: An Inquiry Concerning the Origins of American Civilization.
 
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