This course will investigate constitutional history from the Founding to 1905. We will explore constitutional development from several different angles, including presidential leadership, legislative mandates, and especially judicial interpretation through major decisions by the Supreme Court. We will also consider popular constitutionalism and how society at large debated and helped to shape constitutional interpretation. LIMITED WRITING REQUIREMENT OPTION: A limited number of students may be permitted to satisfy the upper-class writing requirement with the approval of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. **A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar (designated by an (S) in the title), or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, may be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who are on a wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.