The Ghost of Liberalism Past

Abstract

We the People is an ambitious book by one of our best constitutional theorists. Part one of a projected three-volume series, it aims at nothing less than a re-envisioning of American constitutional history and promises a new synthesis of law, politics, and history. Ackerman weaves an intriguing story about who we are and who we might be as a people. Unfortunately, Ackerman's tale fails to inspire, because it is mired in a fictional past and envisions a utopian future. In addition, the book ultimately raises more questions than it answers because it provides inadequate criteria to identify the moments in the past that have special constitutional importance.