First Published in 1993. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

In time for the 225th anniversary of the Bill of Rights, David Kyvig completed an Afterword to his landmark study of the process of amending the US Constitution. The Afterword discusses the many amendments, such those requiring a balanced federal budget or limiting the terms of members of Congress, that have been proposed since the book was originally published and why they failed of passage. At a time when prominent scholars and other public figures have called for a constitutional convention to write a new constitution, arguing that our current system of governance is unsustainable Kyvig reminds us of the high hurdles the founders created to amending the constitution and how they have served the country well, preventing the amendment process from being used by one faction to serve the passions of the moment. In his farewell address, President Washington reminded his audience that the Constitution, "till changed by an explicit and authentic act of the whole people, is sacredly obligatory upon all." He regarded the Constitution as a binding document worthy of devout allegiance, but also believed that it contains a clear and appropriate procedure for its own reform. David Kyvig's illuminating study provides the most complete and insightful history of that amendment process and its fundamental importance for American political life. Over the course of the past two centuries, more than 10,000 amendments have been proposed by the method stipulated in Article V of the Constitution. Amazingly, only 33 have garnered the required two-thirds approval from both houses of Congress, and only 27 were ultimately ratified into law by the states. Despite their small number, those amendments have revolutionized American government while simultaneously legitimizing and preserving its continued existence. Indeed, they have dramatically altered the relationship between state and federal authority, as well as between government and private citizens. Kyvig reexamines the creation and operation of Article V, illuminating the process and substance of each major successful and failed effort to change the formal structure, duties, and limits of the federal government. He analyzes in detail the Founders' intentions; the periods of great amendment activity during the 1790s, 1860s, 1910s, and 1960s; and the considerable consequences of amendment failure involving slavery, alcohol prohibition, child labor, New Deal programs, school prayer, equal rights for women, abortion, balanced budgets, term limits, and flag desecration.

We Americans have enshrined our most cherished rights in the First Amendment to our Constitution, including the freedom of religion, speech and press; the right to assemble; and the right to petition the government for redress of grievances. Since the formation of the republic, Congress has been actively engaged in enacting laws that have a direct and significant bearing on First Amendment rights. This ideal student resource provides the carefully edited and explained text of 31 landmark Congressional laws in all areas of First Amendment rights—from internal security to symbolic speech, campaign financing, obscenity, intellectual property, and freedom of religion. Organized topically for ease of use, this resource allows students to examine and compare the landmark laws on a particular topic across the breadth of American history through the year 2000. For instance, students can compare changes in the laws on obscenity from the Comstock Act of 1873, to the Anti-Dial-a-Porn Act of 1989 and the Child Online Protection Act of 1998. The landmark laws are organized into nine categories: internal security, symbolic speech, election campaign activities, obscenity, intellectual property, labor-management relations, federally funded programs, and freedom of religion. Each category opens with a general overview of the laws covered in that section and a brief summary of how they relate to each other. The entry on each landmark law features a discussion of the historical background of the law, the intent and purpose of the law, an examination of the substance and impact of the law, and a carefully edited actual text of key passages of the law. Each entry concludes with a bibliography of recommended print sources and Web sites for students. An introductory overview of Congressional legislation on the First Amendment, followed by a detailed timeline of milestones in the history of Congressional legislation on First Amendment issues, put the topic in historical context for students. An appendix of tables of the statutes and cases with complete citations will aid student researchers.

First published in 1995, Saving Old Glory provides a detailed account of the origins and development of the American flag desecration controversy.