We the People, Volume 3: The Civil Rights Revolution

In this dense, academic volume, Ackerman, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale, continues his We the People series, which thoroughly examines American constitutional history, law, and social context, by progressing into the latter half of the 20th century. For logistical purposes, he focuses on “the struggle for black equality,” acknowledging that he gives short mention to women, the poor, and other minorities. As he states, “I have concentrated on the things I do best, and on the main point: that a bipartisan political coalition did indeed manage to build a new foundation for race relations in the name of the American people.” It’s a broad, meticulous approach to the topic that looks at the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, the Second Reconstruction, and Brown v. Board of Education; and it celebrates how far Americans have come while working with what Ackerman suggests is an outmoded and flawed political system. He likewise condemns that Americans have become mired in the past, with pointed criticism of the current Roberts Court. Steeped in law and history, this is a complex, scholarly, and authoritative look at the volatile and pivotal era that Ackerman claims is now in its autumn years. (Mar.)