{"product_id":"perfecting-the-constitution-darren-patrick-guerra-9780739168387","title":"Perfecting the Constitution: The Case for the Article V Amendment Process","description":"\u003cp\u003eHe who can change the Constitution controls the Constitution. So who does control the Constitution? The answer has always been: \"the people.\" The people control the Constitution via the Article V amending process outlined in the Constitution itself. Changes can only be made through Article V and its formal procedures. Article V has always provided a means of perfecting the Constitution in an explicit, democratically authentic, prudent, and deliberative manner. In addition to changing the Constitution Article V also allowed the people to perfect and preserve their Constitution at the same time. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn recent years Article V has come under attack by influential legal scholars who criticize it for being too difficult, undemocratic, and too formal. Such scholars advocate for ignoring Article V in favor of elite adaptation of the Constitution or popular amendment through national referendums. In making their case, critics also assume that Article V is an unimportant and expendable part of the Constitutional structure. One notable scholar called the Constitution \"imbecilic\" because of Article V. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis book shows that, to the contrary, Article V is a unique and powerful extension of the American tradition of written constitutionalism. It was a logical extension of American constitutional development and it was a powerful tool used by the Federalists to argue for ratification of the new Constitution. Since then it has served as a means of \"perfecting\" the US Constitution for over 200 years via a wide range of amendments. Contrary to contemporary critics, the historical evidence shows Article V to be a vital element in the Constitutional architecture, not an expendable or ancillary piece. This book defends Article V against critics by showing that it is neither too difficult, undemocratic, nor too formal. Furthermore, a positive case is made that Article V remains the most clear and powerful way to register the sovereign desires of the American public with regard to alterations of their fundamental law. In the end, Article V is an essential bulwark to maintaining a written Constitution that secures the rights of the people against both elites and themselves.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Darren Patrick Guerra\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 073916838X\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780739168387\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Lexington Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/10\/2013\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 254\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.25lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 6.10w x 0.90d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/01\/2014","brand":"Darren Patrick Guerra","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48517390237951,"sku":"9780739168387","price":115.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_2311f92c-1fac-4808-a34c-0cad720d4cfe.jpg?v=1778731669","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/perfecting-the-constitution-darren-patrick-guerra-9780739168387","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}