Description
Book SynopsisThis work questions the extent to which the American Constitution furthers democratic goals. It reveals the Constitution's potentially antidemocratic elements and explains why they are there, compares the American constitutional system to other democratic systems, and more.
Trade Review“A devastating attack on the undemocratic character of the American Constitution.”—Gordon S. Wood,
New York Review of Books“Robert A. Dahl . . . is about as covered in honors as a scholar can be. . . . He knows what he is talking about. And he thinks that the Constitution has something the matter with it.”—Hendrik Hertzberg,
New Yorker“Some may find it a startling question, as most Americans have an unwavering faith in the Constitution and its principles. But the author argues that we should not be afraid to examine it and to consider other options for achieving a more democratic society.”—
Washington Post Book World, “Best Seller List/Washington Is Also Reading”
Selected by
Choice as a 2003 Outstanding Academic Title
Selected by the American Library Association as one of “The Best of the Best from the University Presses: Books You Should Know About,” 2003
Selected by the Association of American University Presses as an Outstanding Book for Public and Secondary School Libraries
“This book is vintage Dahl at the highest possible level. It is lucid, acutely analytic, literate, and both consistent with the long series of previous books by Dahl and new in its details and broad contours.”—Fred Greenstein, Princeton University
