Power and Liberty: Constitutionalism in the American Revolution *PDF
New York Times bestseller and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Gordon S. Wood elucidates the debates over the founding documents of the United States. The half century extending from the imperial crisis between Britain and its colonies in the 1760s to the early decades of the new republic of the United States was the greatest and most creative era of constitutionalism in American history, and perhaps in the world. During these decades, Americans explored and debated all aspects of politics and constitutionalism--the nature of power, liberty, representation, rights, the division of authority between different spheres of government, sovereignty, judicial authority, and written constitutions. The results of these issues produced institutions that have lasted for over two centuries. In this new book, eminent historian Gordon S. Wood distills a lifetime of work on constitutional innovations during the Revolutionary era. In concise form, he illuminates critical events in the nation's founding, ranging from the imperial debate that led to the Declaration of Independence to the revolutionary state constitution making in 1776 and the creation of the Federal Constitution in 1787. Among other topics, he discusses slavery and constitutionalism, the emergence of the judiciary as one of the major tripartite institutions of government, the demarcation between public and private, and the formation of states' rights. Here is an immensely readable synthesis of the key era in the making of the history of the United States, presenting timely insights on the Constitution and the nation's foundational legal and political documents. Read more
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Why Must Read Power and Liberty: Constitutionalism in the American Revolution?
This very well-written, well-documented, and well-reasoned book puts brilliant Constitutional garb on the frame the framers put together. With deep analysis, the author develops unique, innovative (at least to me, a reader of many books about Early America) theories that explain how the Constitution (our written rules of fundamental law) came to be. In doing so, he reconstructs and puts in a new light the ostensibly real and often surprising reasons, rationale, and sequence of actions and reactions that led to the United States Constitution. In particular, one learns how, to offset the modern “middling” men and their unenlightened ways that were bringing “excessive democracy” (anarchy) to the states under the Articles of Confederation, Madison and a few others helped strategize calling up the Constitutional Convention to set things aright (especially the power structure), and for Marshall to later interpret the results the way he did. I can’t speak highly enough about this book. Nary a page, if not a paragraph, went by without my highlighting something on my Kindle version. If I had anything to suggest, it would be for the author in his next edition to add a quick summary at the end, as one can get the feeling of being left hanging just a bit. As well, while I found no errors of fact (something unusual for most books I read), I encountered (just to be extra picky on something this perfect) only two easily corrected typos (missing "t" on p.146 and missing "s" on 168). Bottom line, the above very minor issues aside, I’m so glad I "well-ordered" this liberty book! Powerful, it is…and very highly recommended! Of possible interest: George Washington’s Liberty Key: Mount Vernon’s Bastille Key – the Mystery and Magic of Its Body, Mind, and Soul , a best-seller at Mount Vernon. “Character is Key for Liberty!” and Strategy Pure and Simple: Essential Moves for Winning in Competition and Cooperation
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