Free, Sovereign, and Independent States: The Intended Meaning of the American Constitution

John Remington Graham

Sep 2010 · Pelican Publishing

About this ebook

"This work is an epic produced by amazing intellectual energy. It will be of unique present interest and a wonderful gift to posterity."
--Hon. John P. Flaherty, associate justice (1979-1996), chief justice (1996-2001), Supreme Court of Pennsylvania

A restatement and rediscovery of the intended meaning of the United States Constitution, this exhaustive volume closely examines the document as originally framed in 1787, implemented in 1789, and amended in 1791, 1798, and 1804. Tracing each provision of the Constitution and its first twelve amendments to its basic roots, John Remington Graham presents a focused yet comprehensive reading of the document, exposing its true legal meaning in a manner never done before.

Based on centuries of human experience and legal tradition, the intended meaning of the Constitution has a substantive content that must endure, Graham argues, despite fluctuating judicial interpretations. For good reason, the Framers of the Constitution wanted to assure that judges would resolve disputes upon established principles of law and not legislate from the bench; that responsibility for maintaining the Constitution would be shared as well by the executive and legislative branches of government; and that legal equilibrium across the country would be achieved by prudent distribution of power between the Union and the States.

Uniquely, the book considers the founding fathers of the United States, including George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Mason, alongside the reigning princes of Europe (Louis XVI and George III)-formidable figures who deeply influenced the fledgling republic. Presenting the immutable and timeless features of the Constitution as it was originally intended and given to posterity, this consummate work is a true treasure of American scholarship, timeless as the magnificent document it deftly illuminates.

Ratings and reviews

I've spent a lot of my free time reading about the constitution, and no other book provides the same comprehensive understanding that Graham's book brings forth. Graham takes each phrase in the constitution, explains why the framer's used it, from where the intellectual origins came, and how the framers understood it in that light. I highly recommend this book for Constitution enthusiasts.

About the author

John Remington Graham is an experienced trial lawyer and former professor of law. A founding professor of Hamline University School of Law, he has worked as a federal public defender and an advisor to the amicus curiae for Quebec in the Quebec secession case of 1998. He frequently lectures on the constitutionality of secession.