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| The United States Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation
Paperback
Edition: 1st
Author: Jonathan Hennessey
Artist: Aaron McConnell
Publisher: Hill and Wang
Release Date: 2008-10-14
ISBN-10: 0809094703
ISBN-13: 9780809094707
List Price: $16.95
Average Customer Rating:
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Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com
Our leaders swear to uphold it, our military to defend it. It is the blueprint for the shape and function of government itself and what defines Americans as Americans. But how many of us truly know our Constitution? The United States Constitution: A Graphic Adaptation uses the art of illustrated storytelling to breathe life into our nation’s cornerstone principles. Simply put, it is the most enjoyable and groundbreaking way to read the governing document of the United States. Spirited and visually witty, it roves article by article, amendment by amendment, to get at the meaning, background, and enduring relevance of the law of the land. What revolutionary ideas made the Constitution’s authors dare to cast off centuries of rule by kings and queens? Why do we have an electoral college rather than a popular vote for president and vice president? How did a document that once sanctioned slavery, denied voting rights to women, and turned a blind eye to state governments running roughshod over the liberties of minorities transform into a bulwark of protection for all? The United States Constitution answers all of these questions. Sure to surprise, challenge, and provoke, it is hands down the most memorable introduction to America’s founding document.
Fresh look
| Customer Rating: | | I'd purchased the graphic novel for the Sept. 11 Commission Report published by the same company and they did a great job of taking tough concepts and making them accessible through images more than words. When I saw they released a graphic novel about the Constitution, I figured it would be in the same vein...it was. The author succeeds in wedding the history of the Constitution to the story of its evolution. It's a great review (and celebration) of our nation's key text presented in compelling, easy to read form. This book should really be in classrooms across the nation because of its easy access to a rich Constitution education. Don't think because it's a graphic novel that the subject matter is presented in anything but an honest review of the underpinnings of the U.S. |
Valuable gift for junior high school and up
| Customer Rating: | | This "quick read" reminded me of many things I had forgotten and taught me a number of things I don't remember ever knowing. It will make a great gift for ages 12+ because people can learn and retain information about the Constitution not only by reading the text but also from the pictures. Many readers will want to delve further into issues raised in the book, either pursuing the author's recommended reading or searching the internet. I particularly liked some of the analogies which explained Constitutional issues by comparing them to everyday experiences. --- Claude, age 60 |
Great Learning Experience
| Customer Rating: | | I purchased this book on a recommendation from Racheal Maddows Show. She was right, this is a great way to learn about the constitution. |
A Parent's Perspective
| Customer Rating: | I watched the process of development on this project from the very beginning when it was a promotional pitch to Hill and Wang. Jonathan and Aaron were selected from 5 teams who submitted their work to the publishers. They were selected and then the work began. It took a solid year of very laborious work and detailed research; what type of microscope was being used in 1776? What style of clothing was worn? What types of buildings and transportation were there?
Then the pages were laid out in pencil, work submitted for approval, reworked if necessary and then inked. From those final inked pages, watercolors were created to overlap the images and add color and texture and finally some computer colors were added over the top and for details.
It was a huge process in the amount of labor and scheduling that was involved after the research and adaptations that Jonathan Hennessey added to the words and history of the great document itself, the Articles and the Amendments.
I'm a visual learner, so for me this was the perfect way to take in all the information within the United States Constitution and it has given me a great new love and appreciation for the founding document of these United States.
I wish this book could be introduced into the schools across our nation. |
Fabulous! Jam-packed with fascinating information
| Customer Rating: | The authors and artists involved with creating "The United States Constitution : a graphic adaptation" have done a masterful job of conveying the complexities, history and controversies associated with the US Constitution into a graphic format. The 3/5 Compromise, in which African American slaves were counted as 3/5 of a person or the purpose of allocating seats in the House of Representatives is conveyed by showing human beings with slightly more than half of their bodies showing. The conflict between states and the federal government is shown by the various state birds in conflict with a bald eagle. The various factions and interests (large states, small states, etc.) battling for control over government are shown as various individuals pulling wires to hold up an ungainly, smoke-belching machine, piloted by the Founding Fathers, as it maneuvers on a high wire. Creative, apt images are used to indelibly portray lofty and seemingly abstract principles.
Controversies are put in historical context. The current battle over the Second Amendment -- giving citizens the right to bear arms -- is put in context of the world of the late 18th century in which the amendment was written. "Persons" (inhabitants of the country) are contrasted with "the People" (those with legal rights). Whatever your position on the 2nd Amendment, this distinction is instructive. The book also provides some insights into the Constitution's development and interpretations over time. The language of incorporation, born with the 14th Amendment ending slavery -- shows how limitations on the Federal government -- such as the inability to establish religion -- were placed on the states as well. Cases where the Supreme Court has reversed itself are noted, notably Plessey v Ferguson and Brown v Board of Education. Only in one case (the discussion of the Marbury v Madison, which established judicial review by he Supreme Court) did the book fail in its efforts. Evidently, that case is way too convoluted to convey with anything but words and ideas.
If "The United States Constitution : a graphic adaptation" had a political agenda, I wasn't aware of it. Instead, it impressed me by including the wide panoply of persons touched by the document -- first whites, blacks and Native Americans, and eventually women, Asians, Hispanics and others. The book is eye-opening and informative -- all but the most committed legal buffs are sure to learn something. |
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