Recommended Reading

I am about half way through Peter Irons "A People's History of the Supreme Court" (thanks to the Merida English Library collection) and recommend it.

Irons begins by covering the drafting of the Constitution, moves on to the composition and notable decisions of the early Supreme Court, and wends his way through various notable cases to present times.

The books illustrates that the Federalists, who generally determined the outcomes of the Constitutional Convention and appointed the early Supreme Court justices, were motivated by the protection of their self interests as the creditor class and how the interests of landless folks, laborers, women, African Americans, and Native Americans were not considered. Except of course as a part of the Great Compromise which decided that slaves would be counted as three fifths of person for purposes of determining populations for apportioning representation.