The United States Constitution has been the nation's fundamental law since it was adopted over two centuries ago. Along the way, it has provided the basic framework through which Americans have governed themselves and secured their fundamental liberty. It has also been an endless site of struggle as Americans, in debating the reach of national power, slavery, democracy, equality, personal autonomy, and much else, have vigorously disputed not simply what the Constitution means and licenses but more fundamentally what it even is. This course offers a broad overview of this expansive history from its eighteenth-century origins to our modern era. It focuses on pivotal developments and debates that have shaped the constitutional order and the various institutions and actors who have played an important role in that process, not simply the Supreme Court and the cases it has decided, but also the other branches of government, the political process, and the social movements that have mobilized new understandings of the Constitution to advance their goals. It emphasizes contest and change through law, politics, and culture, exploring how the Constitution has been at once a political and legal document as well a source of national identity that binds generations to one another.
3-5 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit · GER: WAY-EDP, WAY-SI
The United States Constitution has been the nation's fundamental law since it was adopted over two centuries ago. Along the way, it has provided the basic framework through which Americans have governed themselves and secured their fundamental liberty. It has also been an endless site of struggle as Americans, in debating the reach of national power, slavery, democracy, equality, personal autonomy, and much else, have vigorously disputed not simply what the Constitution means and licenses but more fundamentally what it even is. This course offers a broad overview of this expansive history from its eighteenth-century origins to our modern era. It focuses on pivotal developments and debates that have shaped the constitutional order and the various institutions and actors who have played an important role in that process, not simply the Supreme Court and the cases it has decided, but also the other branches of government, the political process, and the social movements that have mobilized new understandings of the Constitution to advance their goals. It emphasizes contest and change through law, politics, and culture, exploring how the Constitution has been at once a political and legal document as well a source of national identity that binds generations to one another.
Offered in Spring 2027 at Stanford University.