Here’s a few things I’ve been reading these past few weeks:

Cynthia Niccoletti’s essay on “Transcendent Constitutionalism”. If you’ve heard someone say the Civil War killed states rights this essay will prove them wrong. In fact, throughout Reconstruction moderate Republicans and the Supreme Court worked to halt a slide toward “consolidation” of the Union and tried to preserve federalism and the existing constitutional order as much as possible, minus secession and slavery of course. More generally it explores how Americans understood the war itself, and not just the amendments passed in its wake, as having fundamentally changed American law.

The Civil War of 1812 by Alan Taylor. I’ve come to conclude I don’t like Alan Taylor’s writing style even though I can’t fault his research. I do like how he shows the fissures which the War of 1812 exacerbated and the general fragility of the Union at that time. The divisive politics of it feel painfully relevant today.

Lastly, I’ve been listening to A Country of Vast Designs by Robert Merry. This one’s been on my list for a long time but with my slow reading speed I think the audio version is best. Polk is a such great protagonist. Coming off his defeat for Tennessee governor, he’s the political underdog in a struggle for the Democratic nomination for president. As of this writing, he’s edged out his rivals, secured the nomination, and been elected to office. I hope to get to the Mexican War stuff by tomorrow.