American epic : reading the US Constitution

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Title:

American epic : reading the US Constitution

Author:

Epps, Garrett, author.

ISBN:

9780199974740

Physical Description:

xxv, 274 p. ; 25 cm

Contents:

How to read a Constitution -- Preamble. "Tell me, Muse, how it all began" -- Article I. A tale of two cities -- Article II. Under the bramble bush -- Article III. Solomon's sword -- Article IV. All God's children -- Article V. Alter or abolish -- Article VI. The Supreme law of the land -- Article VII. Bloodless and successful -- Last things -- The Bill of Rights : national decalogue -- Quick fixes : Eleventh and Twelfth amendments -- Democratic vistas : Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth amendments -- A burst of reform : Sixteenth, Seventeenth, Eighteenth, and Nineteenth amendments -- Hangover remedies : Twentieth through Twenty-second amendments -- Dreams and nightmares : the twenty-third through Twenty-sixth amendments -- Madison's return : the Twenty-seventh Amendment.

Corporate Subject:

United States. Constitution.

Subject Term:

Constitutional law -- United States.

Constitutions -- United States.

Summary:

"The United States is the only nation in the world in which political leaders, judges and soldiers all swear allegiance not to a king or a people but to a document, the Constitution. The Constitution today, however, is much revered but little read. . Readers of AMERICAN EPIC will never think of the Constitution in quite the same way again. Garrett Epps, a legal scholar who is also a journalist and writer of prize-winning fiction, takes readers on a literary tour of the Constitution, finding in it much that is interesting, puzzling, praiseworthy, and sometimes hilarious. Reading the Constitution like a literary work yields a host of meanings that shed new light on what it means to be an American"--

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Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake)	342.7302 EPP	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Park Grove Library (Cottage Grove)	342.7302 EPP	Searching... Unknown
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury)	342.7302 EPP	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

In 1987, E.L. Doctorow celebrated the Constitution's bicentennial by reading it. "It is five thousand words long but reads like fifty thousand," he said. Distinguished legal scholar Garrett Epps - himself an award-winning novelist - disagrees. It's about 7,500 words. And Doctorow "missed a good deal of high rhetoric, many literary tropes, and even a trace of, if not wit, at least irony," he writes. Americans may venerate the Constitution, "but all too seldom is it read."In American Epic, Epps takes us through a complete reading of the Constitution - even the "boring" parts - to achieve an appreciation of its power and a holistic understanding of what it says. In this book he seeks not to provide a definitive interpretation, but to listen to the language and ponder its meaning. He draws on four modes of reading: scriptural, legal, lyric, and epic. The Constitution's first three words, for example, sound spiritual - but Epps finds them to be more aspirational than prayer-like. "Prayers are addressed to someone . . . either an earthly king or a divine lord, and great care is taken to name the addressee. . . . This does the reverse. The speaker is 'the people,' the words addressed to the world at large." He turns the Second Amendment into a poem to illuminate its ambiguity. He notices oddities and omissions. The Constitution lays out rules for presidential appointment of officers, for example, but not removal. Should the Senate approve each firing? Can it withdraw its "advice and consent" and force a resignation? And he challenges himself, as seen in his surprising discussion of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in light of Article 4, which orders states to give "full faith and credit" to the acts of other states. Wry, original, and surprising, American Epic is a scholarly and literary tour de force.

Author Notes

Garrett Epps is Professor of Law at the University of Baltimore Law School. He is a former staff writer for the Washington Post, and has also written numerous articles and editorials in The New York Times, The New Republic, The New York Review of Books, and The Atlantic. Two of his nonfiction books, Democracy Reborn (Henry Holt, 2006) and To An Unknown God (St. Martin's, 2001), have been finalists for the American Bar Association's Silver Gavel Award. He has also written two novels, including The Shad Treatment, which won the Lillian Smith Book Award.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Americans "have little interest in what the Constitution says; but. we are obsessed with what it means," argues Epps (Democracy Reborn) in this lively, engaging study. Picking apart every article, amendment, and section-from the Preamble to the 27th Amendment-with meticulous care, the University of Baltimore law professor explores their historical and legal contexts and assesses their origins, antecedents, and their legacies. Given that people have been studying, interpreting, redefining, and amending this document for centuries, even a cursory examination might seem daunting. But Epps tackles it with glee, teasing apart what the states and the federal government can and can't do, and playing devil's advocate with constitutional loopholes and other points of interest. He approaches the task with a scholarly, open attitude, and his arguments and conclusions are sure to spark debate among readers of differing political mindsets. His stated aim is not to offer comprehensive explanations but to share his reading experience. In doing so, Epps has created the ideal study guide for civics and political science classes, an intelligent and provocative tour through the fascinatingly complicated, vitally important blueprint of the United States. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Choice Review

Epps (Univ. of Baltimore School of Law) provides an introspective and multifaceted guide to a complete reading of the American founding document. Using four frameworks of review--scriptural, legal, lyrical, and epic--the author makes an examination of the Constitution accessible to every type of reader. Organized to address each line of the Constitution, which appears in the appendix, the book's structure is both straightforward and comprehensive. The numerous biblical, historical, and literary references throughout each section enhance the text's constitutional discussion. Epps is particularly adept at drawing on a wide range of theoretical, as well as popular, resources and employing them to delve into the constitutional applicability of present controversies. For example, in discussing the language of the Constitution, he is as comfortable in referencing Godel's theorem as he is in quoting the movie The Princess Bride. Overall, the book's unique and refreshing approach makes what many may initially perceive to be an arduous task into an enjoyable and enlightening one. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. A. H. Cooley South Texas College of Law

Preface: How to Read a Constitution	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. XXV
Preamble:	p. 3
Article I A Tale of Two Cities	p. 8
Article II Under the Bramble Bush	p. 33
Article III Solomon's Sword	p. 52
Article IV All God's Children	p. 63
Article V Alter or Abolish	p. 79
Article VI The Supreme Law of the Land	p. 84
Article VII Bloodless and Successful	p. 89
Last Things	p. 91
The Bill of Rights: National Decalogue	p. 93
Quick Fixes: Eleventh and Twelfth Amendments	p. 148
Democratic Vistas: Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments	p. 158
A Burst of Reform: Sixteenth, Seventeenth, Eighteenth, and Nineteenth Amendments	p. 185
Hangover Remedies: Twentieth through Twenty-Second Amendments	p. 199
Dreams and Nightmares: The Twenty-Third through Twenty-Sixth Amendments	p. 214
Madison's Return: The Twenty-Seventh Amendment	p. 226
Appendix: The United States Constitution	p. 229
Notes	p. 253
Index	p. 263

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Summary

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Publisher's Weekly Review

Choice Review

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