Constitutional Brinksmanship: Amending the Constitution by National Convention

Drawing on essential historical records--many newly discovered or published--and citing relevant judicial precedents, this book is the first systematic exposition of the legal problems relating to the convention clause. Constitutional historian Russell Caplan examines the constitutional crises that have let to convention drives--from the antifederalist movement of the 1780s to the recent campaigns to abolish the one-person, one-vote rule and prohibit abortion, showing how state drives for a constitutional convention, which occur on a regular basis, have been crucially affected by advocacy from partisans and opponents alike that obscures the true legal issues and dictates the course of these (so far) unsuccessful campaigns.