Commentaries on the Constitution

Rating:
Summary: Excellent source for those interested in the Constitution
Review: Joseph Story wrote some of the most important Supreme Court decisions during the early days of the country. This book explores, in detail, his views of the Constitution and it provides a fascinating view of how the Constitution was viewed in the early nineteenth century. Story borrows, liberally at some points, from the federalist papers and early Court opinions to back up his contentions. Each section is very carefully laid out, and the entire book is constructed to explain the Constitution passage by passage. The logical order and a good index make this book essential for Constitutional scholars and provide ease of use for the casual historian. Whether you are looking for the meaning of a single passage in the Constitution or if you just want to get a broad understanding of its meaning as a whole, I highly recommend this book.