Review by Eleanor J. Bader
In US Constitution 101: From the Bill of Rights to the Judicial Branch, Everything You Need to Know about the Constitution of the United States, authors Richey and Paccone, both teachers, provide readers with a concise, anecdotally rich account of how America’s most foundational document evolved to become “the world’s oldest, functioning written Constitution.” Influenced by Hammurabi’s Code in Mesopotamia, the Greek system of demokratia, and the European Magna Carta, US founders struggled to create unity among the original 13 colonies while simultaneously granting each locale some autonomy. This pattern persists today (seen, for example, in the diverse state abortion laws that followed the 2022 Dobbs decision and in policies that govern the voting rights of convicted felons.)
Eighteenth-century contention is writ large throughout the book – regarding immigration, slavery, women’s suffrage, taxation, and declarations of war — and showcases the compromises and concessions of James Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington. Moreover, tensions over ratification of the newly-drawn Constitution, which required approval by nine states, are palpably reported and readers become privy to arguments between those who favored federal cohesion and those who favored state’s rights. Accommodation, Richey and Paccone write, “to ensure that none of the branches of government can gain a decisive advantage over the others,” led to a bicameral legislature, with strict policies regarding Presidential veto power and the appointment of federal judges, cabinet members, and ambassadors.
In addition, coverage of church-state separation, freedom of speech and assembly, prior restraint of media, and gun rights give the book added heft and contemporary relevance. What’s more, a smattering of fun facts enliven the prose: Readers learn that gerrymandering, for one, is named for Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry, whose administration created a salamander-shaped district that critics dubbed the gerrymander. Who knew?
US Constitution 101 is an entertaining and extremely-readable resource, a guide to US governance for middle school and older readers. It answers a host of questions and explains the rationale for the state-by-state patchwork that makes many policies both complex and varied.
US Constitution 101: From the Bill of Rights to the Judicial Branch, Everything You Need to Know about the Constitution of the United States by Tom Richey and Peter Paccone. Adams Media, Simon & Schuster, September, 2024.
Reviewer bio: Eleanor J. Bader is a Brooklyn, NY-based journalist who writes about books and domestic social issues for Truthout, Rain Taxi, The Progressive, Ms. Magazine, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and The Indypendent.
