A Machine That Would Go of Itself: The Constitution in American Culture - Softcover

Kammen, Michael

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9780394756004: A Machine That Would Go of Itself: The Constitution in American Culture

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0394756002 ISBN 13: 9780394756004

Publisher: Vintage, 1987

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N5 Paperback. 1986. 550p 8.00x5.00x1.25. BOOK RAISING IMPORTANT ISSUES... I CANNOT THINK OF ANYONE WHO NOT LEARN MUCH BOTH NEW AND IMPORTANT IN THIS BOOK.

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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.

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