Howard Gillman, Mark A. Graber, and Keith E. Whittington, American Constitutionalism
Winner of the Teaching and Mentoring Award for Innovative Instructional Materials in Law and Courts, American Political Science Association
American Constitutionalism, vol. 1: Structures of Government, 3rd ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2021) Buy It!
American Constitutionalism, vol. 2: Rights and Liberties, 3rd ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2020) Buy It!
American Constitutionalism: Powers, Rights, and Liberties, 1st ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014) Buy It!
Companion Website with Free Supplemental Materials for American Constitutionalism
More details about the supplemental materials here.
Constitutionalism in the United States is not determined solely by decisions made by the Supreme Court. American Constitutionalism an innovative approach to the two-semester constitutional law sequence that presents the material in a historical organizaiton within each volume, as opposed to the typical issues-based organization. Looking at Supreme Court decisions historically provides an opportunity for instructors to teach--and students to reflect on--the political factions and climate of the day. Covers all the important debates in American constitutionalism and incorporates readings from all the prominent participants in those debates, while laying out the political and legal contexts within which those debates occurred.
"American Constitutionalism marks a new age in the teaching of constitutional law. After using this text, I can't imagine teaching constitutional law any other way." -- Julie Novkov, University at Albany, State University of New York
"This is a major achievement--a gold-standard teaching tool doubling as a penetrating account of the development of constitutional rights and liberties in America." -- Ken I. Kersch, Boston College
"American Constitutionalism is easily the best undergraduate constitutional law text on the market. It goes beyond other texts by including not only important Supreme Court cases, but also materials illustrating that constitutional development is the product of interactions between many individuals and institutions." -- Paul Nolette, Marquette University
The historical approach of American Constitutionalism is excellent. It has encouraged me to completely rethink my course with attention to changes in our regime over time. Equally excellent is the inclusion of influential constitutional statements from congressional floor debates and presidential addresses." -- Stewart Gardner, Boise State University
"Gillman, Graber, and Whittington Vol. II is indispensable to anyone wishing to teach the American Constitution's protection of rights and liberties from an historical perspective. The research is superb, the curating is outstanding, and the organization translates
readily into a highly effective syllabus." -- Howard Schweber, University of Wisconsin
"For me, its primary strength is in the way it integrates law and politics. Too many constitutional law textbooks before this spent too little attention to the political factors that surround and shape constitutional law. It very self consciously treats both law and politics as significant dynamics and contributors to the evolution of constitutional law." -- Shauna Fisher, West Virginia University
"An important and refreshing challenge to the traditional case method of teaching constitutional law." -- Jason Pierceson, University of Illinois Springfield