The Words That Made Us

A page-turning doorstop history of how early American courts and politicians interpreted the Constitution. A Yale professor of law and political science, Amar--who points out that most historians lack training in law and most lawyers are not knowledgeable enough about history--delivers a fascinating, often jolting interpretation. . . . Brilliant insights into America's founding document. --Kirkus (starred review) Akhil Amar, one of America's greatest constitutional teachers, has written one of America's greatest constitutional histories. Amar's unique brilliance as a constitutional lawyer and historian combine to create a riveting narrative history of the American idea that will illuminate and inspire readers for generations to come. --Jeffrey Rosen, President & CEO, National Constitution Center Some see history as a series of separate events. Amar knows, and demonstrates brilliantly, that history overlaps itself, that at each stage we must find (or invent) a usable past from which to shove ourselves into the featureless future. How does one present such a complex back-and-forth use of the past to escape the past? This book shows how. --Garry Wills, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Lincoln at Gettysburg With characteristic insight and wit, Akhil Amar brilliantly revives the classic constitutional history of the United States for a twenty-first-century nation. Deftly telling the story of the birth of the American constitutional system of government, Amar confronts the founders' failures and successes with admirable frankness. --Mary Sarah Bilder, Founders Professor, Boston College Akhil Amar masterfully tracks eighty years of words (and images)--urgent, sometimes angry, but always to the point. When lawless mobs, cheered by reckless pols, roam city streets and Capitol hallways, understanding our founding conversation is more important than ever. --Richard Brookhiser, author of Give Me Liberty: A History of America's Exceptional Idea This masterpiece of a book reveals Akhil Amar to be the greatest constitutional historian of his generation. He brilliantly shows, for example, how George Washington got everything he wanted at the Philadelphia Constitutional Convention, while geniuses like Madison, Hamilton, Wilson, and Franklin all came up short. This book will be the canonical account of the birth of our Constitution and our early years as a nation for decades to come. --Steven Gow Calabresi, Clayton J. & Henry R. Barber Professor, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Without princes or priests to impose it from above, America's Constitution evolved from an ongoing public conversation. In this timely and illuminating volume, constitutional historian Akhil Amar superbly unpacks the meaning of those words that continue to matter from the founding era. Highly recommended. --Edward J. Larson, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Summer for the Gods