1986 Monographs

Corwin's Constitution: Essays and Insights of Edward S. Corwin

Crews, Kenneth D.

The growth of presidential powers and the expansion of federal authority in recent decades require fresh examination of Edward S. Corwin's writings and theories. His seminal studies of the president. Congress, and the Supreme Court became landmark works almost immediately upon their publication in the first half of the twentieth century. Professor Corwin's theories brought him praise and general acknowledgement as the most influential critic of the American government in his time. Indeed, his general treatises on the presidency and the Constitution remain standards long after his death in 1963. Such prominent works, however, often belie the steady flow of lesser-known publications Corwin generated between 1900 and 1960. He wrote more than twenty books, edited several others, and authored more than 400 articles, letters to editors, and book reviews. Corwin was the recognized master of the essay--whether his essays were academic or popular. He was quick to offer a legalistic and historical analysis of contemporaneous events, from income taxes and labor strikes to war powers and desegregation. Yet the essays in this book reveal a view of Corwin virtually unexplored by students of American politics, law, and history; indeed, these essays create a vision of Corwin unknown to many of his friends and close colleagues.