“This series of Penguin Civic Classics is based on the belief that acquiring knowledge of America’s history and of our rights and responsibilities as citizens is not merely an abstract, academic exercise. It really matters. It can make an actual difference in each and every one of our lives. . . . If we are familiar with the way in which people in the past have confronted their problems, and if we have a decent understanding of how to make the best use of America’s institutions to deal with the problems confronting us in the present, we have a much better chance of being able to control our own destinies. Our opinions of the ‘correct’ way to proceed may not always prevail, but we will at least be participants, not passive bystanders, in the ongoing drama that is the history of the United States. And, perhaps most important of all, it is often personally more rewarding, more fun, to be a participant than to be a bystander.”

—Richard Beeman, in his series introduction to our new Penguin Civic Classics,
out today in time for the height of election season.

The series includes:

1. The Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution, Annotated with an Introduction by Richard Beeman
2. Common Sense by Thomas Paine, Introduction by Richard Beeman
3. The Federalist Papers by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, Edited with an Introduction by Richard Beeman
4. Lincoln Speeches by Abraham Lincoln, Edited with an Introduction by Allen C. Guelzo
5. American Political Speeches, Edited with an Introduction by Terry Golway
6. Supreme Court Decisions, Edited with an Introduction by Jay M. Feinman