Originally published in 1955, this book by legal historian Bernard Schwartz presents the workings of American constitutional law for a non-American audience. Schwartz explains in the preface that 'essential to an understanding of the United States is some knowledge of the American system of constitutional law. For it is no exaggeration to say that the Federal Constitution is the fulcrum upon which American institutions turn.' This book will be of value to legal historians and anyone with an interest in the American legal system.