A Machine That Would Go of Itself - Hardcover

Kammen, Michael

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0394529057 ISBN 13: 9780394529059

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, 1986

Synopsis

Kammen, Michael, Machine That Would Go Of Itself, A: The Constitution In American

About this title

About the Author:

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.

From Library Journal:

A timely historical survey of American lay thought and attitude toward the Constitution from the 1780s to the present by Pulitzer Prize-winner Kammen ( People of Paradox ). With a mix of reverence and ignorance, Americans have fashioned a constitutional pattern of conflict within consensus. Kammen traces this pattern: initial ambiguity, slow emergence as a national symbol, conflict and the Civil War, etc., accelerating change after 1940. Throughout he emphasizes the role of the Supreme Court. Past constitutional anniversary celebrations provide a fascinating perspective on the upcoming fete. As Kammen notes, the Constitution has not been a popular topic. But with the bicentennial so near (1987), this wide-ranging scholarly account, which breaks new ground yet is suitable for general readers, should be in most libraries. History Book Club alternate. John Cudd, Sch. of Library & Information Science, Univ. of Missouri-Columbia
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
• Publication date: 1986
• ISBN 10: 0394529057
• ISBN 13: 9780394529059
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 532