Constitutional Literacy A Twenty-First Century Imperative
This book considers the status of constitutional literacy in the United States along with ways to assess and improve it.The author argues that pervasive constitutional illiteracy is a problem for both law enforcement agencies and for ordinary citizen
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Constitutional Literacy
Christopher Dreisbach
Constitutional Literacy A Twenty-First Century Imperative
Christopher Dreisbach Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, Maryland, USA
ISBN 978-1-137-56798-7 ISBN 978-1-137-56799-4 DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-56799-4
(eBook)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016950640 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2016 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. Cover image: © D. Hurst / Alamy Stock Photo Cover design by Samantha Johnson Printed on acid-free paper This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by Springer Nature The registered company is Nature America Inc. New York
For America’s Peace Officers, the advance guard of constitutional protections.
PREFACE
The US Constitution matters. As the “supreme law of the land,” the Constitution is at the heart of civic life in the USA and central to the role that the USA plays on the global stage. In American civic life, public officials enter their profession by swearing an oath to protect, preserve, and defend the Constitution. Non-sworn USA citizens and visitors often invoke the Constitution in word and deed. Sometimes these nonsworn invoke the Constitution intentionally as a premise in a statement or conversation about their rights and responsibilities; sometimes these non-sworn invoke the Constitution implicitly when they vote, serve on a jury, or choose to obey or violate a law. The Constitution also stands firmly at the center of the USA’s involvement in world affairs: politically, socially, and economically. Never legally or morally free from the Constitution’s constraints, global representatives of the USA—whether from the military, business, politics, charitable organizations, or as private citizens—are bound by the Constitution and the laws it sanctions. All of this has been the case since New Hampshire was the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, in 1788. But thanks to the Internet and social media, more people than ever before h
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