Reviews (1)

a finely nuanced reading
Brown's argument is impressively supported: although most Arab countries have constitutions, the constitutions themselves do not function as Americans would expect.However, the cynical rejection of these documents as cosmetic devices is flawed, as Arab governments do use these constitutions and they have real meaning, with some prospects for further development.Read more

Subjects:  1. Arab countries    2. Constitutional law    3. Constitutions    4. General    5. Government - Comparative    6. Islam - General    7. Law    8. Politics / Current Events   

Reviews (1)

Andrew Jackson, the Indians, and Psychohistory
Rogin's book is an amalgamation of biography, history, and psychohistory. As biography, the book discusses the young Andrew Jackson, the trauma he underwent by being a posthumous child, and the death of his mother on the American frontier when he was fourteen.The book then explores Jackson's violent early manhood and his following career as a successful land speculator and local polititican. The book proceeds to examine Jackson's role in the War of 1812 and, most importantly in the Creekand Seminole Indian Wars. It follows this discussion with a treatment of Indian affairs during Jackson's Presidency as well as with a broader, though shorter discussion, of the nature of Jacksonian democracy and of Jackson's destruction of the Second Bank of the United States.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1767-1845    2. 1789-1869    3. Government relations    4. History - U.S.    5. History: American    6. Indian land transfers    7. Indians of North America    8. Jackson, Andrew,    9. Relations with Indians    10. U.S. - Political And Civil Rights Of Native Americans    11. U.S. History - Constitutional Period To Civil War (1789-1860)    12. United States    13. United States - General    14. American history: c 1500 to c 1800    15. Constitution: government & the state    16. History / General    17. Jackson, Andrew    18. USA   

Reviews (1)

Typical academic book-lacks clarity
While the author obviously spent (too much?) time in the archives, when it came to sitting down and writing the book he could not resist engaging in what is now literally an all-too-common academic exercise: making what should have been a straightforward cultural tale into a jargon-laden, convoluted tome that lacks clarity.Instead of tortured sentence construction and the employment of a host of academic buzzwords, Waldstreicher should have just said what he had to say! He didn't (not uncommon in his profession) and thus this book, consequently inaccessible, is anything but lucid. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1775-1783    2. 1783-1865    3. 18th century    4. Festivals    5. Government - U.S. Government    6. History    7. History & Theory - General    8. History: American    9. Manners And Customs    10. Nationalism    11. Political aspects    12. Political culture    13. Politics / Current Events    14. Politics and government    15. U.S. History - Constitutional Period To Civil War (1789-1860)    16. United States    17. United States - 19th Century    18. United States - General    19. American history: c 1800 to c 1900    20. Constitution: government & the state    21. Customs    22. Political science & theory    23. USA    24. c 1700 to c 1800    25. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (5)

The soul of America is in this speech
What does Lincoln do at Gettysburg? Why are his words as moving today as they were when he uttered them?
The most important speech in American History (illustrated)
As Gary Willis tries to indicate in his introduction to this illustrated edition of Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address," the reason it is the most important speech in American History is because until Lincoln made his few choice "remarks" at the dedication of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg, Americans did not believe the principle that "all men are created equal" that is enshrined in the Declaration of Independence.So while this is a sense that the Union Troops did not fight for self-determination, or to free the slaves for that matter, we now believe that they did and we do so because of what Lincoln said at Gettysburg (Willis develops this argument more comprehensively in his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, "Lincoln at Gettysburg").This is what historicans mean when they talk about how Lincoln elevated the war to a higher level. Stark woodcuts communicate nobility and tragedy.
I read this book aloud to my children. The text is simply the Gettysburg address, broken into phrases with an illustration for each thought. Two-thirds of the way through the book, I found myself weeping. The combination of Lincoln's eloquence and the illustrations touched me. I would recommend using this book to introduce students of any age to Lincoln's famous speech and the history associated with it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1809-1865    2. 1809-1865.    3. Children's Books/Ages 9-12 Nonfiction    4. Children: Grades 4-6    5. Consecration of cemeteries    6. Gettysburg    7. Gettysburg address    8. History - United States/19th Century    9. Juvenile literature    10. Lincoln, Abraham,    11. Pennsylvania    12. Social Science - Politics & Government    13. Soldiers' National Cemetery (G    14. American history: c 1800 to c 1900    15. Constitution: government & the state    16. History    17. Juvenile Nonfiction / Politics & Government    18. Social history    19. USA    20. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (3)

The Most Compelling Case Yet
Contrary to popular interpretations by Garry Wills and Pauline Maier, in his book Jefferson's Declaration of Independence: Origins, Philosophy & Theology, University Press of Kentucky (1998), Allen Jayne makes the most compelling case yet for understanding the ideas and ideals in the Declaration. Jefferson's "Theological" background to the Declaration
Allen Jayne's "Jefferson's Declaration of Independence" is a fantastic book. Jayne explores the Scottish Enlightenment and the religious liberalism of Lord Bolingbroke, a hero of Jefferson. Also Jayne shows how Jefferson's own religious liberalism influenced his philosophy behind the Declaration when he referred to "Nature's God". This was not Jehovah, but the God of Reason, and the Universe. Jayne shows the influence of the "moral sense" Scottish philosophy on Jefferson as he formulated a coherent philosophy of freedom, and religious liberty. It is also shown how Jefferson believed that religious tyranny to be the worst of all tyrannies since it crushed the freedom of thought. Jefferson, a tireless opponent of mental slavery, used the theological influences of Lord Bolingbroke to inaugurate the new nation. A great study.

Wonderful book on the source of Jefferson's ideas
For generations, historians have examined the Declaration of Independence looking for the source of Jefferson's ideas.Many have looked to John Locke and his Second Treatise on Government as the main source.Whileacknowledging Locke as an important source for Jefferson, Jayne alsosuggests that there were other sources for Jefferson's thought.Inresearching for this book, Jayne examined Jefferson's Commonplace Books,where he recorded selections from various authors.He compared theseselections to the ideas in the Declaration and found ways that differentauthors influenced Jefferson's thoughts as they appeared in the Declarationof Independence. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity - Theology - General    2. History    3. History - U.S.    4. History: American    5. Political    6. Political History    7. Political Ideologies - Democracy    8. United States - Revolutionary War    9. American history: c 1500 to c 1800    10. Constitution: government & the state    11. Political science & theory    12. Religion: general    13. USA    14. c 1700 to c 1800   

Subjects:  1. Civics & Citizenship    2. Constitutional - First Amendment    3. Courts - General    4. Desecration    5. Flags    6. Freedom of speech    7. Johnson, Gregory Lee    8. Law    9. Legal Reference / Law Profession    10. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    11. Politics/International Relations    12. Texas    13. Trials, litigation, etc    14. United States    15. Constitution: government & the state    16. Constitutional & administrative law    17. Criminal law    18. Flags & insignia    19. Freedom of information & freedom of speech    20. USA   

Subjects:  1. Constitutional    2. Constitutional Law    3. Courts - General    4. Courts - Supreme Court    5. Jurisprudence    6. Law    7. Legal Reference / Law Profession    8. U.S. Federal Judicial Bodies    9. Constitution: government & the state    10. Constitutional & administrative law    11. Jurisprudence & philosophy of law    12. USA   

Subjects:  1. Constitutional    2. Constitutional law    3. Constitutions    4. Democracy    5. Government - General    6. History & Theory - General    7. Political Ideologies - Democracy    8. Political Science    9. Politics / Current Events    10. Politics/International Relations    11. State, The    12. Political Science / Government / General    13. Political structures: democracy   

Subjects:  1. Case studies    2. Comparative government    3. Federal government    4. History    5. History & Theory - General    6. Political Process - Political Parties    7. Political Science    8. Political parties    9. Politics - Current Events    10. Politics / Current Events    11. Politics/International Relations    12. Canada    13. Constitution: government & the state    14. India    15. Political Science / History & Theory    16. Political Science and International Relations    17. USA    18. United Kingdom, Great Britain   

Reviews (1)

A More perfect plan...
Thomas More, executed by Henry VIII (one of his best friends) for treason, led an illustrious career of politics and letters. Under his friend the King, he served in many capacities - Speaker of the House of Commons, Master of Requests, Privy Councillor, etc. - culminating with the trust of the position of Lord Chancellor, a position in those days matching the prominence (if not the definition) of Prime Minister in these days. More's strong integrity and resolute mind caught the attention of scholars, political and church leaders internationally; it was this same integrity that most likely was his undoing, refusing to assent to the King's divorce and severance of ties binding the English Church with the Roman overlordship of the Pope. Indeed, More was, if not the actual ghostwriter, then certainly an inspiration and editorial aide to the document produced by King Henry VIII against the continental protestants, earning for Henry (and his heirs ever after) the title of Defender of the Faith (historical irony is that this title, most likely not intended to be hereditary, now declares the defense of a faith separated from the one for which the title was bestowed).
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Subjects:  1. Political Ideologies - Communism & Socialism    2. Political Science    3. Politics / Current Events    4. Politics/International Relations    5. Reference    6. Constitution: government & the state    7. Europe    8. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    9. Literature: Texts    10. Political Science / Reference    11. Political science & theory    12. Social & political philosophy   

Reviews (1)

A Compelling & Thorough Look at the Economic Interpretation
"In To Form a More Perfect Union, Robert A. McGuire attempts to provide the first solid modern analysis to quantify the impact of the personal economic interests of the Founding Fathers on the structure and content of the U.S. Constitution. Readers familiar with the literature in this area will immediately, and correctly, associate this book with Charles A. Beard's Economic Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States (New York: Macmillan, [1913] 1935). In that book, Beard concludes that the delegates' personal interests shaped their behavior with respect to the drafting and the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. His hypothesis was generally accepted until the 1950s, when most scholars began to question the analysis. An onslaught of counterevidence came during the 1950s and early 1960s, and today most academics believe that Beard's original interpretation was too narrow and that the general political philosophies of the Founding Fathers had greater importance in determining the nature and contents of the U.S. Constitution.Read more

Subjects:  1. (1787)    2. Constitutional    3. Constitutional Convention    4. Constitutional history    5. Constitutional law    6. Constitutions    7. Economic History    8. Economic aspects    9. Economic liberties (U.S. Constitution)    10. Economics - General    11. Legal Reference / Law Profession    12. Political Science    13. Politics/International Relations    14. United States    15. Business & Economics / Economic History    16. Business & Economics-Economic History    17. Business & Economics-Economics - General    18. Constitution: government & the state    19. Constitutional & administrative law    20. Economics | History    21. Law / Constitutional    22. USA   

Subjects:  1. 1783-1789    2. Constitutional    3. Constitutional history    4. General    5. History: American    6. Legal Reference / Law Profession    7. Politics and government    8. United States    9. American history: c 1800 to c 1900    10. Constitution: government & the state    11. Constitutional & administrative law    12. USA   

Reviews (1)

Great Legal Analysis Introduction.
Authors Carter and Burke create a brief but effective legal analysis tool in the form of their text, "Reason in Law."
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Subjects:  1. Common Law    2. General    3. Interpretation and constructio    4. Interpretation and construction    5. Jurisprudence    6. Law    7. Legal Reference / Law Profession    8. Legal System    9. Methodology    10. Philosophy Of Law    11. Politics - Current Events    12. Stare decisis    13. United States    14. Constitution: government & the state    15. Political Science / General    16. Political science & theory    17. Political structure & processes   

Reviews (1)

The scientist, the philosopher and the judge
Laszlo Solyom was one of the founding fathers of the third Hungarian Republic in 1989. After the making of the constitution he left the politics, and became the first president of the hungarian ConstitutionalCourt. As president he built up again the hungarian constitutionaltradition that he mixed with the development of the last 50 years. Today,Hungary as a republic has a solid constitutional base. It was mainly thework of Laszlo Solyom, we can say "exegit monumentum aereperennius" ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Alkotmanybirosag    2. Alkotmâanybâirâosâag    3. Cases    4. Civil Procedure    5. Constitutional    6. Constitutional Law    7. Constitutional courts    8. Constitutions    9. Contemporary Politics - Eastern Europe    10. Courts - General    11. Government - Comparative    12. Hungary    13. Hungary.    14. Law    15. Politics / Current Events    16. Constitutional & administrative law    17. Courts & procedure    18. Political Science / General    19. Political science & theory   

Reviews (7)

Surprisingly Interesting
I don't read politic books very often. I was recommended this one due to the author's great reputation. He gives this subject a very young, fresh edge.

A Brilliant Professor
After reading the reviews of this book, it struck me as humerous because the way Zelizer writes is exactly how he teaches.I had the pleasure of being in his American History course this past year and he was one of the most interesting and fascinating professors I have ever had.He made me not only interested in history (which I never was previously), but he made me passionate about it.A brilliant writer and professor... I highly recommend him and hold him in the highest of esteems.

This is a wonderful book
I saw this guy on C-SPAN a few days ago with Brian Lamb so decided to buy the book. it is one of the best books I have read in decades about politics (and I am political junkie guy constantly reading this stuff). It is sweeping history of how Congress changed in the 1970s and what is going on today. The book has lots of intellectual heft, but it is written in fun and easy to understand style. This guy has very interesting points to make about how conservatives have done so well. There is a chapter on scandal and the Watergate Babies and reforms that was just brilliant. I hope more people read this book and have this guy on their show.Can't think of another book like it.
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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Congress    3. Government - Legislative Branch    4. Government - U.S. Government    5. History    6. History: American    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Politics and government    9. Politics/International Relations    10. Reform    11. United States    12. United States - 20th Century    13. United States - 20th Century (1945 to 2000)    14. United States.    15. American history: postwar, from c 1945 -    16. Central government    17. Constitution: government & the state    18. History / United States / 20th Century    19. Postwar period, 1945 to c 2000    20. USA   

Reviews (3)

Fun for Friends and Foes
The Straussian political theorist Harvey C. Mansfield's Taming the Prince: The Ambivalence of Modern Executive Power describes the development of executive power as a kind of banalization of the "energies" of the dictator or sovereign. This is a fun but sometimes glib treatment of the connection between "executive" and "emergency" powers. In Federalist 70, Alexander Hamilton refers to the "energy in the executive" that was embodied in the Roman dictator. (Note: "energy" not "violence.") For Locke, "prerogative" was not synonymous with "privileges" that monarchs customarily enjoyed. It was extraordinary, unconstitutional but legitimacy through necessity and "public good." Hamilton moved to constitutionalize Executive energy. The anti-federalists, by contrast, took up the liberal tradition of excoriating the institution by invoking Sulla and Caesar, who broke from the classical model of dictatorship in favor of unilateral rule without limits.
Inscrutable - not written for readability
The problem with Mansfield, other than his Straussian proclivity (a troubling method of political-philosophical interpretation of texts), is that when he writes, he is intentionally wordy and difficult. He acknowledged as much in his translation of Tocqueville's Democracy In America. Indeed, he believes in the Straussian notion of esoteric textual knowledge, and writes to this end: you are supposed to find the true meaning of his work below the surface of his extremely verbose, unnecessarily difficult prose.
A book for the dire-hard student of executive power
Mansfield deals with a wide array of conceptions of executive power in this very complex yet brilliantly comprehensive examination.If you want to know why the American executive faces its current problems of ambivalence and demagoguery, read "Taming the Prince" to find the difficult theoretical answers ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Constitutions    2. Executive Bodies    3. Executive power    4. History & Theory - General    5. Politics / Current Events    6. Politics/International Relations    7. Public Affairs & Administration    8. History / United States / General    9. Political science & theory   

Reviews (1)

A powerful contribution do constitucional doctrine
When I was in my first years teaching constitutional law and writing a book on church and state in Portugal this book was perhaps the most important I read. The insights of Cass Sunstein helped to build a more persuasive case for religions freedom and equality in Portugal. Cass Sunstein addresses the constitutional question of determining the right baselines in those cases in which a Constitution confronts historically consolidated situations of inequality. In this cases, one must remember that the historical process is not necessarily a legitimate one. For instance (and this is where Sunstein'workwas important to me), in Portugal the Catholic Church became the dominant religion, not by means of gentle persuasion in a free marketplace of ideas, but through coercion, persecution and discrimination. This means that the search for the right baseline for treating equally the different religious groups in contemporary Portugal cannot start with the acritical acceptance of the current situation of fact. If a Constitution accepts reality as it is, without any concern for how this reality came to be, this constitution will turn out to be a partial constitution. Much more could be said about it, but my point is that Sunstein's argument, developed trough many topics that have nothing to do with church and state problems,in fact helped to shape the current debate on church and state relations in Portugal, by focusing on the ilegitimate ways in which the dominant religion became so dominant and, by that, by allocating more theoretic and normative resources to the protection of religious minorities. After reading this book I've always tried to read everything I can from Sunstein. He is a great professor even when ocasionally I don't agree with him. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Civil Procedure    2. Constitutional Law    3. General    4. Government - U.S. Government    5. Law    6. Politics / Current Events    7. Politics/International Relations    8. United States    9. Constitution: government & the state    10. Constitutional & administrative law    11. Law / General    12. USA   

Reviews (2)

"The Bible to the U.S.Constitution"(1978/edition)
After analyzing the details of this book for several years,the biggest surprise during the recent impeachment trial,to realize the lack of "LAW"by the lawyers on both sides??C-Spancalled,U.S.Congress,106th session?The House YES! The Senate NO! It is aContinuous Body since 3/4/1789!(1/3 of the body every 2 years.)Now! That'sTRIVIA PURSUIT! (Age78)

Title and authorship of Corwin is fraudulent
The original work, of which this one claims to be an update, is a three-volume collection of essays by Edward S. Corwin, edited by Richard Loss, which I recommend. This is a summary of the opinions in landmark court cases, with an emphasis on those that Corwin disagreed with and considered unconstitutional. Nothing about this book is authored by Corwin, and, based on his actual writings, one must conclude that he would not have approved of his name being attached to it. This is a rather crude attempt to legitimize the many ways that the Constitution has been and is being violated. Read it, if you must, as revisionist doctrine and what statists would like to have you believe is established constitutional interpretation. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Constitutional    2. Constitutional law    3. General    4. History - General History    5. Law    6. Legal System    7. U.S    8. U.S.    9. United States    10. Constitution: government & the state    11. Constitutional & administrative law    12. Law / Constitutional    13. Other prose: from c 1900 -    14. Political Science and International Relations    15. USA   

Subjects:  1. Comparative government    2. Congresses    3. Constitutions    4. Democracy    5. Government - Comparative    6. Political Ideologies - Democracy    7. Political Science    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Politics/International Relations    10. Constitution: government & the state    11. Literary Criticism & Collections / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh    12. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT   

Subjects:  1. Bolivia    2. Colombia    3. Constitutions    4. Democratization    5. Government - Comparative    6. Latin America - General    7. Multiculturalism    8. Pluralism (Social sciences)    9. Political Ideologies - Democracy    10. Politics / Current Events    11. Reference    12. Social Science    13. Sociology    14. Constitutional & administrative law    15. Ethnic studies    16. Political structures: democracy    17. South America