The Constitution of 1789: A New Introduction
Cambridge University Press, May 2026

Written on the semiquincentennial of American Independence, Ilan Wurman’s deep dive into the U.S. Constitution offers “novel and surprising insights about the Constitution’s original meaning.” The book takes the reader on an in-depth tour of the Constitution’s structure and separation of powers, starting with the nature of written constitutions and the compound nature of the American Union. The book also explores the enumeration of legislative powers and its relation to the historic royal prerogatives, the meaning of executive power, and the distribution of foreign affairs and war powers between Congress and the President. It investigates the nature of judicial power and the Constitution’s complex relationship with slavery, before addressing federalism and the scope of national powers.

Praise: “Wurman powerfully illuminates debates among originalists on how their method applies to crucial questions. He intervenes in those debates with sophistication, wit and scholarly zest.” —Nicholas Parrillo, William K. Townsend Professor of Law and Professor of History, Yale University

“Comprehensive, clear-headed and packed with essential information, The Constitution of 1789 is terrific one-stop shopping to our nation’s founding document – and to many of the great issues of the modern era.” —Cass R. Sunstein, Robert Walmsley University Professor, Harvard University