Civil War Without End: The Sociology and Synergy of Law and History [Book Review of Brandwein's 'Reconstructing Reconstruction']

Abstract

Professor Wildenthal reviews Professor Pamela Brandwein's book, "Reconstructing Reconstruction: The Supreme Court and the Production of Historical Truth" (Duke University Press, 1999).

The review praises the perceptive and groundbreaking contribution that Brandwein, a sociologist, has made to the understanding of several crucially important episodes of American constitutional history. Brandwein primarily focuses on the long-running debate over the meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment, including whether it is properly construed to incorporate or apply the Bill of Rights to the states.

Keywords: Fourteenth Amendment, Bill of Rights, Civil War, slavery, Reconstruction, Thirteenth Amendment, voting rights, apportionment, Charles Fairman, William Winslow Crosskey, Pamela Brandwein

JEL Classification: K10