We the People: A Progressive Reading of the Constitution for the Twenty-First Century

From “one of the shining lights of legal academia” (New York Times), We the People is a progressive guide to recognizing the power andpromise of the Preamble and the Constitution to protect and defend ourindividual human rights and liberties against the conservative assault on ourfounding text.

University of California Berkeley Dean and respected legal scholar Erwin Chemerinsky expertly exposes how conservatives are using the Constitution to advance their own agenda that favors business over consumers and employers, and government power over individual rights.

But exposure is not enough. Progressives have spent too much of the last forty-five years trying to preserve the legacy of the Warren Court’s most important rulings and reacting to the Republican-dominated Supreme Courts by criticizing their erosion of rights—but have not yet developed a progressive vision for the Constitution itself. Yet, if we just look to the promise of the Preamble—liberty and justice for all—and take seriously its vision, a progressive reading of the Constitution can lead us forward as we continue our fight ensuring democratic rule, effective government, justice, liberty, and equality.

Includes the Complete Constition and Amendments of the United States of America