Encyclopedia of Constitutional Amendments, Proposed Amendments and Amending Issues, 1789-2002 - Hardcover

"Anyone whose knowledge of U.S. constitutional amendments is limited to a passing familiarity with the Bill of Rights and some of the more salient of the other 16 existing amendments (one has been repealed) may be stunned to learn the vast scope of this topic as expounded in Vile's compendious encyclopedia . . . The entries are well written and provide source references (collected in a substantial bibliography at the end). Appendixes include tabular data on number of amendments by decade, 'most popular' amending proposals by year, as well as the text of the Constitution and its amendments. This work is highly recommended for academic libraries." - American Reference Books Annual "Updating a 1996 title, this A-Z source now contains 100 new entries, increasing the total number of articles from 400 to more than 500. Like the previous edition, the new one covers 27 amendments as well as notable proposed amendments, along with relatied issues, individuals, organizations, and Supreme Court decisions, among other topics. A new 'A to Z List of Entries' makes a handy addition . . . This update is a useful and unique item for academic, public, and high-school libraries, even those owning the earlier edition." - Booklist "[A] comprehensive reference on key issues, people, and cases associated with U.S. constitutional amendments . . . essay-style entries that are readable, authoritative, and thorough . . . essays from the first edition have been revised and expanded, which gives the book a fresh, current tone. The contemporary slant is also evident in the book's citation of constitutional amendment proposals that have appeared over the Internet . . . scholarly approach will appeal to academic audiences. Recommended. Academic and large public libraries." - Choice

A new, thoroughly revised edition of the only major reference source on constitutional amendments and the amendment process. Since 1787, more than 11,000 amendments have been proposed for the Constitution. Yet only 27 have passed. This handy one-volume encyclopedia offers the whole story of constitutional amendments: the rigorous ratification process; the significance of the 27 amendments that made it into the Constitution; and the notable and sometimes preposterous topics of the thousands that didn't. Extensively revised and updated, the second edition of the award-winning Encyclopedia of Constitutional Amendments, Proposed Amendments, and Amending Issues, 1789-2001 provides everything the student of the Constitution ever wanted to know about amendments and the amendment process. This title provides background social historical material on successful and unsuccessful amendments and an overview of the thousands of failed amendments. This includes a proposed constitution for a new Caribbean concrete island to be named Oceana. Readers will also encounter people like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Everett Dirksen, and James Madison, who championed specific amendments.

Likewise, influential thinkers such as William Penn, Thomas Jefferson, and Francis Lieber are cited for their roles in shaping our philosophical understanding of the amending process.