The Book Prize Index

Original Meanings: Politics and Ideas in the Making of the Constitution

Jack N. Rakove

What did the U.S. Constitution originally mean, and who has comprehended its meaning best? Jack Rakove, professor of history at Stanford University, now approaches the debates surrounding the framing and ratification of the Constitution from the vantage point of history, examining the personal influences the various framers, especially James Madison, exerted over the process.From the Hardcover edition.

HistoryAmerican History · high confidenceAmerican History81 signalsLlm Classifier: American History -> American HistoryOpen Library: History / United States / General -> American HistoryOpen Library: Constitutional history -> American HistoryConstitutional HistoryAmerican PoliticsPresidency & Executive Power

Award History

1 wins · 1 total

AwardYearResultCategory / Notes
Pulitzer Prize in HistoryMajor1997WinnerSecondary source
View all award history (1)
Experimental book profileGenerated by GPT-5.4 nano · may contain inaccuracies

This is an unverified interpretation of the catalog description, offered as an opt-in discovery experiment—not as bibliographic fact.

  1. 01 Central figures

    • James Madison78%

  2. 02 Central places

    None extracted with sufficient confidence.

  3. 03 Suggested argument

    No argument inferred with sufficient confidence.

  4. 04 Reading orientation

    55 / 100 academic

    Trade / academic crossover

    An estimate of intended readership and scholarly apparatus—not quality or importance.

Confidence percentages are the model's own estimates. Profile confidence: 62%.