A Companion to the United States Constitution and Its Amendments is designed to show students just how revolutionary the Constitution was-and how relevant it remains today. It begins by revisiting the key events leading to the Constitution's ratification, including the writing of the Declaration of Independence and the proceedings of the Constitutional Convention, then goes article by article, amendment by amendment, to describe each section of the document, as well as the important court cases that add to its meaning. The fully updated new edition of A Companion to the United States Constitution and Its Amendments reflects a number of significant developments in the five years since the previous edition, including the appointments of new Supreme Court justices, impactful cases involving First Amendment rights for students, religious displays on government property, gun control in the District of Columbia, presidential powers in the context of the war on terror, corporate fraud liability, gay rights, and the 2010 presidential election.