A Treatise on Constitutional Conventions

HOW TO DRAFT A CONSTITUTION This treatise served as a practical guidebook for states seeking to institute constitutional conventions, and it remains relevant today. Based on a study on 192 American constitutional conventions, Jameson analyzes the nature and sources of constitutions and shows how they are produced. Some arise from a "spontaneous convention." Others are the result of a "legislative convention," "revolutionary convention" or "constitutional convention." "Jameson's work remains a legal landmark, notably not simply as the first treatise in this area but also for its continuing insights into issues of constitutional change at both the state and national levels. Although it no longer occupies the field it once did, Jameson's treatise remains the single most comprehensive work on the subject and a fertile source of insights and ideas." --John R. Vile, V-VI JOHN ALEXANDER JAMESON (1824-1890) attended Harvard Law School in 1852. He served as a Judge of the Superior Court of Chicago from 1865-1883, during which time he issued over 100 opinions, some of which were regarded as landmarks of family law and church governance. Jameson was one of the founders of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. An abolitionist, he was a founder of the Republican Party.