cafe-americain.org

Library of Congress Guide on Primary Documents, The Constitution:
http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/Constitution.html

Amar, Akhil Reed. America’s Constitution: A Biography (2005).

Bailyn, Bernard. The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution (1967). [This is a classic, providing background]

Beeman, Richard, et al., Eds., Beyond Confederation: Origins of the Constitution and American National Identity (1987).

Dahl, Robert A. How Democratic Is the American Constitution? (2003).

Edling, Max M., A Revolution in Favor of Government: Origins of the U.S. Constitution and the Making of the American State (2003).

Ellis, Joseph. Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation (2002).

Hamilton, Alexander, James Madison, and John Jay. The Federalist Papers. Multiple editions and available online here:
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/FEDERAL/frame.html.

Higginbotham, A. Leon, Jr. In the Matter of Color: Race and the American Legal Process: The Colonial Period (1978).

Hoffman, Ronald and Peter J. Albert, Eds., Women in the Age of the American Revolution (1990).

Jensen, Merrill. The Articles of Confederation (1940, 1970). [This is a classic, providing background]
Text of Articles available here:
http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/articles/text.html

Jillson, Calvin C. Constitution Making: Conflict and Consensus in the Federal Convention of 1787 (1988).

Lipset, Seymour Martin. The First New Nation (1963).

James Madison, Journal of the Federal Constitution. Multiple editions. Morris, Richard B. Witness at the Creation (1985).

Morris, Richard B. The Forging of the Union, 1781–1789 (1987). Norton, Mary Beth. Liberty’s Daughters (1980).

Rakove, Jack N. Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution (1996).

Storing, Herbert J. What the Anti-Federalists Were For (1981).

Wood, Gordon S. The Creation of the American Republic (1969).

Wood, Gordon S. The Radicalism of the American Revolution (1993).

by Stacy Dorgan Bentz | Filed under: The Consitution on March 26th, 2008 | No Comments »

Lawrence Lessig and Joe Trippi have just launched a bipartisan movement to extract the influence of special interest from the United States Government.   The following video is a replay of yesterdays announcement and directly and specifically discusses the intentions of the founders in regards to Congress.  I thought the article had relevance given our Article I discussion last week.

To learn more about or join the movement, go to the Change Congress website.

by Seth Cochran | Filed under: Uncategorized on March 23rd, 2008 | No Comments »

The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.

No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.

Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons. The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct. The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to chuse three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New-York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgia three.

When vacancies happen in the Representation from any State, the Executive Authority thereof shall issue Writs of Election to fill such Vacancies.

The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.

by The Founders | Filed under: March 20, 2008, The Consitution on March 21st, 2008 | 1 Comment »

All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.

by The Founders | Filed under: March 20, 2008, The Consitution on March 21st, 2008 | 1 Comment »

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

by The Founders | Filed under: March 20, 2008, The Consitution on March 21st, 2008 | 1 Comment »