Perfecting the U.S. Constitution
27 and Counting, The Amendments that Shaped America's Future
Published on 7. October 2025
Book
Hardback
212 pages
978-1-83999-633-7 (ISBN)
Description
This book tells the story of each Constitutional Amendment and the role that the Amendments have played in shaping the American experience. Based on solid research, it is written in an engaging style that is easy to comprehend and enjoyable to read. The Amendments guarantee the fundamental rights and liberties that Americans enjoy and should be understood by every citizen. They tell America's story from its founding to the present day. The Amendments play a vital role in the quest for gender and racial equity, and the continuing struggle to achieve social justice. They are the result of the American people's continuing efforts to perfect our Constitution, first through Acts of Congress, then through ratifications by State Legislatures, and finally by judicial review and interpretation. The Amendments are too important to be treated as afterthoughts, and this book seeks to rectify that by giving them the attention they deserve.
Reviews / Votes
Good citizens need to know more about the U.S. Constitution. This easy-to-understand book focuses on the twenty-seven amendments that have kept the Constitution workable and the Republic functioning for 236 years. Some of us believe the Constitution needs quite a few more changes. Blaine Kaltman shows how reform has occurred in the past, perhaps providing some hints for today's reformers.- Larry Sabato, Robert Kent Gooch Professor of Politics and the Director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, USA.The writing is accessible, the book reads quickly, and discussion of recent Supreme Court cases makes the book timely and relevant for all.-Sarah Binder, Senior Fellow in Governance Studies, Brookings Institution; co-author of The Myth of Independence: How Congress governs the Federal Reserve.
Kaltman delivers a lively, engaging, informative history of the amendment process and the twenty-seven amendments that have reshaped the Constitution and American life. A valuable, entertaining resource for teachers and students--and, indeed, anyone who wants to understand America's living Constitution.-Donald G. Nieman, Professor of History and Provost Emeritus, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York, USA.
A brilliant device for telling the political history of America.-John Prideaux, US Editor and Executive Director of Podcasting, The Economist
Compared to other books on the Constitution, this one stands out for its clarity, accessibility, and relevance to today's legal and political landscape. In a time when constitutional literacy is more important than ever, this book deserves to be widely read.- Howard Dreitzer, Senior Casino Executive; former Chief Operating Officer for Seminole Gaming, and former Senior Vice President and General Manager for Conrad Jupiters, Australia.
This book says important things about the amendments to the U.S Constitution and sheds new light on the Constitution that exists today.-Forrest Maltzman, Professor of Political Science, George Washington University; co-author of Crafting Law on the Supreme Court: The Collegial Game, and of Advice and Dissent: The Struggle to Shape the Federal Judiciary.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 222 mm
Width: 145 mm
Thickness: 16 mm
Weight
436 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-83999-633-7 (9781839996337)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Blaine Kaltman is a former U.S. Department of State Foreign Service Officer. He earned a doctorate from the University of Queensland, Australia. He is the author of Under the Heel of the Dragon: Islam, Racism, Crime, and the Uighur in China.
Content
Acknowledgments; About the Author; Introduction; THE BILL OF RIGHTS; CHAPTER 1 Fundamental Rights: The First Amendment; CHAPTER 2 Bearing Arms: The Second Amendment; CHAPTER 3 Innocent until Proven Guilty: The Third through Eighth Amendments; CHAPTER 4 This and No More: The Ninth and Tenth Amendments; AMENDMENTS ELEVEN TO TWENTY-SEVEN; CHAPTER 5 What Federal Courts Cannot Do: The Eleventh Amendment ; CHAPTER 6 The President and Vice President: The Twelfth, Twentieth, Twenty-Second, and Twenty-Fifth Amendments; CHAPTER 7 The Civil War and Reconstruction, Slavery to Civil Rights: The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth, and Twenty-Fourth Amendments; CHAPTER 8 Money Makes the World Go Round: The Sixteenth, Seventeenth, and Twenty-Seventh Amendments; CHAPTER 9 To Drink or Not to Drink, that is the Question: The Eighteenth and Twenty-First Amendments; CHAPTER 10?New Voters: The Nineteenth, Twenty-Third, and Twenty-Sixth Amendments; Afterword: Looking Back and Going Forward