Jack N. Rakove

"The Unfinished Election of 2000 is the first book to examine the strange and unprecedented events of the last election in all their complexity." "Together, these essays offer an election book very different from the ones we are too familiar with: not a journalistic account of campaigning and media strategy, but a reflective assessment of the stranger election in modern American history."--BOOK JACKET.

Ideal for introducing students to the conception and development of the Bill of Rights, this concise volume examines the Federalists' and Anti-Federalists' struggle over amending the Constitution while highlighting the relevance their debates have for modern-day issues. Rakove's lively narrative begins with a study of American roots in English common law, examines the heated discourse and thoughtful deliberation of the founders, and culminates with a close look at the evolution of rights distinctly American. Interspersed throughout are 25 primary documents - including letters, declarations, newspaper editorials, and debates - that embody and contextualize the issues. Also included are extensive gloss notes, a chronology, questions for consideration, a bibliography, and an index.

What did the U.S. Constitution originally mean, and who has comprehended its meaning best? Jack Rakove, professor of history at Stanford University, now approaches the debates surrounding the framing and ratification of the Constitution from the vantage point of history, examining the personal influences the various framers, especially James Madison, exerted over the process.From the Hardcover edition.

Author is an alumnus of Evanston Township High School, class of 1964.