John R. Vile

Students are challenged to stay ahead in today's ever-changing political environment. This third edition comprehensive and accessible casebook, designed specifically for undergraduates, integrates both the political science and legal perspectives of American constitutional law. Covering developments from the constitution's drafting through to the presidency of Donald Trump, the book balances doctrinal analysis with historical and political context. Key updates include expanded discussions of judicial review, judicial power, nationwide injunctions, and the elimination of Chevron deference in administrative law. New material addresses Native American sovereignty, congressional investigatory powers, presidential authority and criminal liability, and the evolving balance of power in foreign affairs and war powers. Additional coverage explores presidential and congressional budget authority, impeachment, and state power within the federal system. The text examines pressing contemporary issues such as public health, property rights, substantive due process, and eminent domain, providing students with the essential tools to critically analyze constitutional law.

Students are challenged to stay ahead in today's ever-changing political environment. This third edition comprehensive and accessible casebook, designed specifically for undergraduates, integrates both the political science and legal perspectives of American constitutional law. Covering developments from the constitution's drafting through to the presidency of Donald Trump, the book balances doctrinal analysis with historical and political context. Key updates include expanded discussions of judicial review, judicial power, nationwide injunctions, and the elimination of Chevron deference in administrative law. New material addresses Native American sovereignty, congressional investigatory powers, presidential authority and criminal liability, and the evolving balance of power in foreign affairs and war powers. Additional coverage explores presidential and congressional budget authority, impeachment, and state power within the federal system. The text examines pressing contemporary issues such as public health, property rights, substantive due process, and eminent domain, providing students with the essential tools to critically analyze constitutional law.

This collection prints and analyzes the 12 formal presidential farewell addresses in U. S. history, situating them within the context of biblical, classical, and other literary antecedents. Presidents have numerous attempts to say hello, not simply when they give a victory speech on election night, but also when they announce their candidacies, accept their party’s nominations, and otherwise campaign throughout the nation. Opportunities for saying goodbye are less regular, in part because presidents are sometimes struck down before the completion of their terms and in part because not all choose to do so in a formal speech. When presidents do choose to give a formal farewell address, however, the speech is an invaluable glimpse into not only the figure who gave it but also the larger political landscape of the time. This book details the evolution of the presidential farewell address, documenting how the genre has shifted and become more institutionalized over time.

Charting 250 years of history, the 8th edition of this constitutional companion shows students just how revolutionary the Constitution was—and how relevant it remains today. After revisiting the key events leading to the Constitution's ratification, including the drafting of the Declaration of Independence and the proceedings of the Constitutional Convention, this book explores the Constitution article by article, and amendment by amendment, to help readers better understand how each section of the document shapes the America we live in today. The 8th edition illuminates how recent laws, political debates, and Supreme Court decisions are continually reshaping our understanding of the Constitution and its role in American life and society—including such issues as Donald Trump's immunity from prosecution for the January 6th riots, Mike Pence's role in certifying Electoral College votes, Ketanji Brown Jackson's appointment to the Supreme Court, and the Dobbs decision, among other controversial developments.

This A–Z encyclopedia is a one-stop resource for understanding the history and evolution of the national anthem in American politics, culture, and mythology, as well as controversies surrounding its emergence as a lightning rod for political protests and statements. This reference work serves as a comprehensive resource for understanding all aspects of the national anthem and its significance in U. S. history and American life and culture. It covers the origins of the song and its selection as the nation's official anthem and acknowledges other musical compositions proposed as national anthems. It discusses famous performances of the anthem and details laws and court decisions related to its performance, and it also explains notable phrases in its lyrics, describes the meaning of the national anthem to different demographic groups, and surveys presentations and celebrations of "The Star-Spangled Banner" in popular culture. Moreover, it summarizes famous political protests undertaken during renditions of the national anthem, from the Black Power salutes by U. S. athletes during the 1968 Olympics to the kneeling protests undertaken by Colin Kaepernick and other NFL players to bring attention to racial inequality in America.

This A-Z encyclopedia surveys the history, meaning, and enduring impact of the Liberty Bell in American culture. This title provides a one-stop resource for understanding the fascinating history and enduring importance of the Liberty Bell in the fabric of American culture, from the pre–Revolutionary War era to the present day. The encyclopedia explains key concepts, principles, and intellectual influences in the creation and display of the Liberty Bell; profiles its creators and leading champions; and surveys the place of the bell and its home in Philadelphia's Independence Hall within the political and cultural lexicon of the nation. Additionally, it discusses important milestones and events in the bell's history and provides a sweeping overview of depictions of the Liberty Bell in historical and modern art, music, literature, and other cultural areas. It thus not only serves as a valuable resource in helping readers separate fact from myth regarding one of America's most potent national symbols but also provides a unique gateway for exploring the wider history of the United States.

This A-to-Z encyclopedia surveys the history, meaning, and enduring impact of the Declaration of Independence by explaining its contents and concepts, profiling the Founding Fathers, and detailing depictions of the Declaration in art, music, and literature. A comprehensive resource for understanding all aspects of the Declaration of Independence, which marked the formal beginning of the colonies' march toward the creation of the United States of America, this encyclopedia contains more than 200 entries examining various facets of the Declaration of Independence and its enduring impact on American law, politics, and culture. It details key concepts, principles, and intellectual influences that informed the creation of the document, reviews charges leveled in the Declaration against the British crown, summarizes the events of the first and second Continental Congresses, profiles influential architects and signers of the Declaration, discusses existing copies of the Declaration, explains the document's influence on other governments/nations, covers historic sites related to the document, and discusses depictions of the document and its architects in American art, music, and literature over time.

Written by a leading scholar of the constitutional amending process, this two-volume encyclopedia, now in its fifth edition, is an indispensable resource for students, legal historians, and high school and college librarians. This authoritative reference resource provides a history and analysis of all 27 ratified amendments to the Constitution, as well as insights and information on thousands of other amendments that have been proposed but never ratified from America's birth until the present day. The set also includes a rich bibliography of informative books, articles, and other media related to constitutional amendments and the amending process.

The only reference guide to Supreme Court cases organized both topically and chronologically within chapters so that readers understand how cases fit into a historical context, the 18th edition has been updated with 20 new cases, including landmark decisions on such topics as campaign finance, Obamacare, gay marriage, the First Amendment, search and seizure, among others. Updated through the end of the 2021 Supreme Court session, this book remains and indispensable resource for undergraduate and law school students, lawyers, and everyone interested in our nation’s laws and Constitution.

The only reference guide to Supreme Court cases organized both topically and chronologically within chapters so that readers understand how cases fit into a historical context, the 18th edition has been updated with 20 new cases, including landmark decisions on such topics as campaign finance, Obamacare, gay marriage, the First Amendment, search and seizure, among others. Updated through the end of the 2021 Supreme Court session, this book remains and indispensable resource for undergraduate and law school students, lawyers, and everyone interested in our nation’s laws and Constitution.

The U. S. Constitution and its 27 amendments (including the Bill of Rights) is a living document, as evidenced by new laws and Supreme Court rulings that with each passing year change how the Constitution's guidelines are interpreted and implemented. A Companion to the United States Constitution and Its Amendments is designed to show students just how revolutionary the Constitution was—and how relevant it remains today. This seventh revised edition of the Companion begins by revisiting the key events leading to the Constitution's ratification, including the writing of the Declaration of Independence and the proceedings of the Constitutional Convention, then explores the document article by article, amendment by amendment, to help readers better understand how each section of the document shapes the world we live in today. In addition, the Companion illuminates how new laws, political debates, and Supreme Court decisions are continually reshaping our understanding of the Constitution and its role in American life and society—including such essential and foundational elements of democracy as voting; elections; the peaceful transfer of power; equality before the law; civil rights and liberties; and the duties, responsibilities, and obligations of the nation's three branches of government.

This A–Z encyclopedia is a one-stop resource for understanding the history and evolution of the national anthem in American politics, culture, and mythology, as well as controversies surrounding its emergence as a lightning rod for political protests and statements. This reference work serves as a comprehensive resource for understanding all aspects of the national anthem and its significance in U. S. history and American life and culture. It covers the origins of the song and its selection as the nation's official anthem and acknowledges other musical compositions proposed as national anthems. It discusses famous performances of the anthem and details laws and court decisions related to its performance, and it also explains notable phrases in its lyrics, describes the meaning of the national anthem to different demographic groups, and surveys presentations and celebrations of "The Star-Spangled Banner" in popular culture. Moreover, it summarizes famous political protests undertaken during renditions of the national anthem, from the Black Power salutes by U. S. athletes during the 1968 Olympics to the kneeling protests undertaken by Colin Kaepernick and other NFL players to bring attention to racial inequality in America.

While scholars increasingly recognize the importance of religion throughout American history, The Bible in American Law and Politics is the first reference book to focus on the key role that the Bible has played in American public life. In considering revolting from Great Britain, Americans contemplated whether this was consistent with scripture. Americans subsequently sought to apply Biblical passages to such issues as slavery, women’s rights, national alcoholic prohibition, issues of war and peace, and the like. American presidents continue to take their oath on the Bible. Some of America’s greatest speeches, for example, Lincoln’s Second Inaugural and William Jennings Bryan’s Cross of Gold speech, have been grounded on Biblical texts or analogies. Today, Americans continue to cite the Bible for positions as diverse as LGBTQ rights, abortion, immigration, welfare, health care, and other contemporary issues. By providing essays on key speeches, books, documents, legal decisions, and other writings throughout American history that have sought to buttress arguments through citations to Scriptures or to Biblical figures, John Vile provides an indispensable guide for scholars and students in religion, American history, law, and political science to understand how Americans throughout its history have interpreted and applied the Bible to legal and political issues.

Article V of the Constitution allows two-thirds majorities of both houses of Congress to propose amendments to the document and a three-fourths majority of the states to ratify them. Scholars and frustrated advocates of constitutional change have often criticized this process for being too difficult. Despite this, state legislatures have yet to use the other primary method that Article V outlines for proposing amendments: it permits two-thirds of the state legislatures to petition Congress to call a convention to propose amendments that, like those proposed by Congress, must be ratified by three-fourths of the states. In this book, John R. Vile surveys more than two centuries of scholarship on Article V and concludes that the weight of the evidence (including a much-overlooked Federalist essay) indicates that states and Congress have the legal right to limit the scope of such conventions to a single subject and that political considerations would make a runaway convention unlikely. Charting a prudent course between those who fail to differentiate revolutionary change from constitutional change, those who fear ever using the Article V convention mechanism that the Framers clearly envisioned, and those who would vest total control of the convention in Congress, the states, or thebconvention itself, Vile’s work will enhance modern debates on the subject.

This A-Z encyclopedia surveys the history, meaning, and enduring impact of the Liberty Bell in American culture. This title provides a one-stop resource for understanding the fascinating history and enduring importance of the Liberty Bell in the fabric of American culture, from the pre–Revolutionary War era to the present day. The encyclopedia explains key concepts, principles, and intellectual influences in the creation and display of the Liberty Bell; profiles its creators and leading champions; and surveys the place of the Bell and its home in Philadelphia's Independence Hall within the political and cultural lexicon of the nation. Additionally, it discusses important milestones and events in the bell's history and provides a sweeping overview of depictions of the Liberty Bell in historical and modern art, music, literature, and other cultural areas. It thus not only serves as a valuable resource in helping readers separate fact from myth regarding one of America's most potent national symbols but also provides a unique gateway for exploring the wider history of the United States.

George Mason 1725-1792] is remembered as the father of the Bill of Rights and for his unwillingness to sign the U. S. Constitution. John R. Vile examines Mason's political philosophy and writings that have influenced American political thought. Chief of these is the Virginia Declaration of Rights which served as a basis for the United States Bill of Rights. xxi, 271 pp.

This A-to-Z encyclopedia surveys the history, meaning, and enduring impact of the Declaration of Independence by explaining its contents and concepts, profiling the Founding Fathers, and detailing depictions of the Declaration in art, music, and literature. A comprehensive resource for understanding all aspects of the Declaration of Independence, which marked the formal beginning of the colonies' march toward the creation of the United States of America, this encyclopedia contains more than 200 entries examining various facets of the Declaration of Independence and its enduring impact on American law, politics, and culture. It details key concepts, principles, and intellectual influences that informed the creation of the document, reviews charges leveled in the Declaration against the British crown, summarizes the events of the first and second Continental Congresses, profiles influential architects and signers of the Declaration, discusses existing copies of the Declaration, explains the document's influence on other governments/nations, covers historic sites related to the document, and discusses depictions of the document and its architects in American art, music, and literature over time.

At a time when the U. S. flag is both a source of both pride and controversy, this volume provides the first encyclopedic A-to-Z treatment of the U. S. flag in American history, culture, and law. This title is a comprehensive resource for understanding all aspects of the American flag and its relationship to the American people. The encyclopedia provides a thorough historical examination of key developments in the flag's design as well as laws and court decisions related to the flag and the First Amendment. In relation to the flag's history, it also discusses evolving public attitudes about its importance as a national symbol. The encyclopedia contains illuminating scholarly essays on presentations of the flag in American politics, the military, and popular culture including art, music, and journalism. Additionally, these essays address important rules of flag etiquette and modern controversies related to them, from flag-burning to refusing to stand during the playing of the U. S. National Anthem.