The United States Constitution

John R. Vile is Professor of Political Science and Honors Dean at Middle Tennessee State University, USA. He is the author, editor, and contributor to numerous books on the United States Constitution, the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the Constitutional amending process, Supreme Court decisions, and civil rights and liberties.

1. Institutional Choices and the Preamble: The Constitution is a Real-world Document, Not a Utopian Blueprint 2. The Legislative Branch: It's a Congress, Not a Parliament 3. The Executive Branch: It's Headed by an Accountable Elected Official, Not a King or a Dictator 4. The Judicial Branch: It's a Group of Lawyers, Not a Bevy of Platonic Guardians 5. The Nation and the States: The Government is Federal, Not Confederal or Unitary 6. The Constitutional Amending Process: It's Difficult Because It Is Designed to Preserve the Constitution as Fundamental Law 7. The Bill of Rights and Freedom of Belief and Expression: They Provide for Liberty, Not License 8. The Bill of Rights, the Right to Security, and the Rights of the Accused and the Convicted: They Preserve the Rights of the Guilty in Order to Protect the Innocent 9. Equality and the Thirteenth through Fifteenth Amendments: It's an Equality of Opportunity, Not a Guarantee of Equal Results 10. Postscript: A Time for Reflection 11. Glossary 12. The Constitution of the United States and Its Amendments