In this wide-ranging re-interpretation of American constitutional history, legal scholar Bruce Ackerman finds a vital source of renewal and strength in the "dualist" character of the American democratic tradition. He examines the transforming impact of popular movements on higher law, and reveals how these exercises in constitutional politics differ from the normal politics practised by the elected representatives. Planned as the first of three volumes, this book aims to put the Reagan revolution into constitutional perspective and to redefine America's civic commitments for the future. It cuts through the search for the "original intent of the founders" as a way to discover the will of the people, and recognizes that the great and extraordinary occasions required for action by the people have not been confined to a single instance in the 18th century.