Haiku Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 I am looking for a good, readable book about the history of the US government and why the Constitution was written the way it was written. I have neither the time nor the inclination to wade through a dry, academic, 500-page tome, so I'm looking for something interesting and readable. Thanks! Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 I am using THe Idiot's Guide to US Government in the GOvt/Econ class I am teaching. It is very readable, to the point, and goes into what the different plans were for the constitution and how it was finally put together. Then there are more sections on the amendments, and each of the parts of the government, and then some about state and local governments, It isn;t all that long and the chapters are kept short. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akmommy Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 How the U.S. Government Works by Syl Sobel is a nice simple introduction to government and the three branches. There are a couple more by the same author on the Constitution and money. http://www.amazon.com/How-U-S-Government-Works-Sobel/dp/0764111116/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blessedwithboys Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 My son is using The Story of the Constitution by Sol Bloom and Lars R. Johnson for his Political Science class at our local Co-op. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soph the vet Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Two things come to mind if you want to understand why the Constitution was written the way it was written. The Federalist Papers (yes, yawn, probably not what you wanted to hear but still the best source for getting in the minds of the Founders) and The 5,000 Year Leap by Cleon Skousen. Great understanding of History of US Gov., Constitution, and very interesting....not dry at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Great Source has a good American Government text. Not your typical yext at all but very much like their writing guides. My teen is enjoying it very much but this could easily be used by a much younger child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnL Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 I am currently reading The 5000 Year Leap. It has a lot of great, readable info in there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted September 22, 2009 Author Share Posted September 22, 2009 (edited) The 5,000 Year Leap by Cleon Skousen. I went to reserve this at the library and I am 48th in line. :001_huh: I have to admit that the fact that there is a forward by Glenn Beck makes me a little leery of the book ... :001_smile: Tara Edited September 22, 2009 by TaraTheLiberator spelling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ma23peas Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Tara, 5000 Year Leap is going to be conservative, however, if you read the reviews at Amazon.com you will realize that much of it is based on facts you just don't read in dry text books. It is trying to 'lead' you to an idea..but the facts are there so that you can make your own interpretations....we are using this in our constitutional study but I have also peppered in several other books....I made a "Listmania" book list on this subject...just search "homeschool/constitution" Unfortunately, out of the 50 or so books I checked out (meaning reading 10 reviews for/against) most are dry....I really recommend the Federalist papers and Common Sense by Paine...also reading biographies on the founding fathers helps put the story into context. HTH! Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 I went to reserve this at the library and I am 48th in line. :001_huh: I have to admit that the fact that there is a forward by Glenn Beck makes me a little leery of the book ... :001_smile: Tara don't let that scare you. He's really a very smart man - he just comes to some different conclusions than a majority of sane people. Once I got my brain around reading the Federalist Papers, it was very good. It just takes some serious reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladydusk Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Hi Tara! In college, we used Roots of the Republic: American Founding Documents Interpreted to trace American political/legal thought from the Mayflower Compact through the Federalist/Anti-Federalist Papers & Bill of Rights. The text is rather long (464 pages, so not 500 [smile]) because it includes copies of the primary documents themselves and essays explaining the context of the time and the document itself. It has been 20 years since I read from it, but I remember enjoying it at the time (remembering I was a history education major). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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