First published in Paris in 1834, Journey to the United States of America / Viaje a los Estados Unidos del Norte América, by Lorenzo de Zavala, is an elegantly written travel narrative that maps de Zavala's journey through the United States during his exile from Mexico in 1830. Embracing U.S., Texas, and Mexican history; early ethnography; geography; and political philosophy, de Zavala outlines the cultural and political institutions of Jacksonian America and post-independence Mexico. de Zavala's commentary rivals Alex de Tocqueville's classic travel narrative, Democracy in America, which was published in Paris one year after de Zavala's. The narrative presents the first account of U.S. political culture from a Mexican point of view and constructs the first comparative political and historical framework for the relationship between Mexico and the United States. In passionate prose, de Zavala argues for the incorporation of the true democratic ideals of the enlightenment in the fledgling Republic of Texas. He hoped Texas would meld the best of both Mexican and American cultures. de Zavala believed that if his colleagues who helped frame the Texas Constitution understood the complexities of democracy and the ideals that their state could achieve through a liberal, federal government that gave equal rights to all of its constituents: Native Americans, Mexicans, Euro-Americans, and free African Americans. The original text is accompanied by eight pages of maps and historical photos, John-Michael Rivera's critical introduction, and an English translation based upon Wallace Woolsey's deft translation, expanded and revised for the purposes of this volume.

We the people at Who HQ bring readers the full story--arguments and all--of how the United States Constitution came into being. Signed on September 17, 1787--four years after the American War for Independence--the Constitution laid out the supreme law of the United States of America. Today it's easy for us to take this blueprint of our government for granted. But the Framers--fifty-five men from almost all of the original 13 states--argued fiercely for many months over what ended up being only a four-page document. Here is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the hotly fought issues--those between Northern and Southern States; big states and little ones--and the key players such as James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington who suffered through countless revisions to make the Constitution happen.

This volume addresses a long-neglected area in constitutional and international studies, Latin America. The book contains penetrating appraisals of the Spanish heritage as it influences Latin American constitutionalism and more recently American democracy. A distinguished historian, a Peruvian political scientist, three former U.S. ambassadors, a legal scholar, and a respected political theorist provide a thorough examination of the U.S. Constitution and the constitutions of Latin America in this well-written treatise. This book is the seventh volume in the Miller Center series on constitutionalism. Co-published with the Miller Center of Public Affairs.