Constitution of 1789

The Constitution of 1789 is a new introduction to the Constitution written on the semiquincentennial of American Independence, packed with novel and surprising insights about the Constitution's original meaning. The book takes the reader on an in-depth tour of the Constitution's structure and separation of powers, starting with the nature of written constitutions and the compound nature of the American Union. The book also explores the enumeration of legislative powers and its relation to the historic royal prerogatives, the meaning of executive power, and the distribution of foreign affairs and war powers between Congress and the President. It investigates the nature of judicial power and the Constitution's complex relationship with slavery, before addressing federalism and the scope of national powers. The Constitution of 1789 dismantles several common misconceptions and conventional wisdoms and is suitable for all readers interested in the law, politics, and history of the American Republic.

Ilan Wurman is the Julius E. Davis Professor of Law at the University of Minnesota. He is also the author of The Second Founding: An Introduction to the Fourteenth Amendment (2020) and A Debt against the Living: An Introduction to Originalism (2017), as well as a leading casebook on administrative law. He splits his time between Saint Paul, Minnesota, and rural Arizona.