The Annotated U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence

by Jack N. Rakove

Here in a newly annotated edition are the two founding documents of the United States of the Declaration of Independence (1776), our great revolutionary manifesto, and the Constitution (1787–88), in which “We the People” forged a new nation and built the framework for our federal republic. Together with the Bill of Rights and the Civil War amendments, these documents constitute what James Madison called our “political scriptures” and have come to define us as a people. Now a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian serves as a guide to these texts, providing historical contexts and offering interpretive commentary.

In an introductory essay written for the general reader, Jack N. Rakove provides a narrative political account of how these documents came to be written. In his commentary on the Declaration of Independence, Rakove sets the historical context for a fuller appreciation of the important preamble and the list of charges leveled against the Crown. When he glosses the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the subsequent amendments, Rakove once again provides helpful historical background, targets language that has proven particularly difficult or controversial, and cites leading Supreme Court cases. A chronology of events provides a framework for understanding the road to Philadelphia. The general reader will not find a better, more helpful guide to our founding documents than Jack N. Rakove.

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

368 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Jack Rakove is the William Robertson Coe Professor of History and American Studies and professor of political science and (by courtesy) law at Stanford, where he has taught since 1980. His principal areas of research include the origins of the American Revolution and Constitution, the political practice and theory of James Madison, and the role of historical knowledge in constitutional litigation. He is the author of six books, including Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution (1996), which won the Pulitzer Prize in History, and Revolutionaries: A New History of the Invention of America (2010), which was a finalist for the George Washington Prize, and the editor of seven others, including The Unfinished Election of 2000 (2001). He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and a past president of the Society for the History of the Early American Republic.

Reviews

[Ray LaManna]

In this presidential election year I thought I'd study our two Founding Documents more thoroughly. Rakove's commentary was very informative, especially when he provides commentary on how the various parts of these great documents were formulated through a great deal of give and take.

If you want a good grounding before you cast your vote in November you should read this book.

[Timothy Bergman]

Feels odd to rate the very constitution of my country only three stars, but trust me, I'm doing it for the annotations.
Rakove does well, he did his research. Unfortunately he also lets slip his bias a few too many times, and his 'jokes' tend to fall pretty flat. Maybe he was trying to spice up and admittedly dry work of political theory, but honestly it doesn't need it.
Still mildly decent overview if you need one in hardback.

[Phillip]

This volume is excellent for civics instruction. The texts of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Amendments to the Constitution are nicely laid out.

Rakove's annotations to the three documents provide a taste of their history and interpretation.

[John M. Hultin]

DON’T get the Kindle version

This book has great content and annotations BUT the kindle version is incomplete and very awkward. It has no illustrations, just a comment saying “refer to the printed version “. In addition, the document text and the annotations are not easily distinguishable. This is made more awkward as the annotations generally precede the document text, requiring the reader to flip back and forth. I have the printed version on order.

[Nivardo]

Great Intro

This was a great introduction to both founding documents of the United States by providing the necessary historical context for what motivated everyone involved in the creation of America.

[Rachel Bhattacharyya]

This was incredibly informative.

[Kim]

Very informative!

[Clara]

This was interesting but i would prefer more analysis and less identification of what the material means

[John Harvey]

Do not buy kindle version

The content of the book is good. However it is the worst formatted kindle book I have ever read. The footnotes are mixed in with the text and most are before the paragraph they are related to. It is sometimes hard to keep straight the text of the constitution, the comments, and the footnotes. None of the images are in the kindle version. If you want to read this book buy the printed book.

[Gloria]

I cannot finish this book because it gets me so pumped up I can't sleep. The last thing I need is more motivation. One day when I'm old and tired and have time I'll finish it but not right now.