Roots of the Republic: American Founding Documents Interpreted / Edition 1

by Stephen L. Schechter, Richard B. Bernstein, Thomas E. Burke, Leo Hershkowitz, John P. Kaminski

Overview

Roots of the Republic shows how the Constitution was a product, not simply of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, but of a legal and philosophical tradition almost two centuries old. The editors have selected eighteen key documents in the development of that tradition and reproduced them with essays that explain what they mean, why they were written, and why they are important today.

Each key document is accompanied by an interpretive essay written by a contemporary scholar. These essays focus on the importance of each frame of government and include commentaries on why they are meaningful today. Intended to help readers learn how to read and understand these documents, the book is also a handy reference and a strong introduction to the development of political thought and the debates surrounding the formation of the state governments and the federal union.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780945612193
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	11/01/1991
Edition description:	1st ed
Pages:	472
Product dimensions:	6.18(w) x 9.02(h) x 1.36(d)

About the Author

Stephen L. Schechter served as director of the New York Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution from 1986 to 1990. He is currently Professor of Political Science and director of the Council for Citizenship Education at Russell Sage College. He is editor or co-editor of Context of the Bill of Rights, The Reluctant Pillar, and World of the Founders.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 The Mayflower Compact, 1620 Chapter 3 The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, 1639 Chapter 4 The Ten Farms Covenant, 1665 Chapter 5 The New York Charter of Liberties, 1683 and 1691 Chapter 6 The New York City Charter, 1686 Chapter 7 The Albany Plan of Union, 1754 Chapter 8 John Adams's Thoughts on Government, 1776 Chapter 9 The Declaration of Independence Chapter 10 The Virginia Declaration of Rights and Constitution, 1776 Chapter 11 The New York State Constitution, 1777 Chapter 12 The Massachusetts Constitution, 1780 Chapter 13 The Articles of Confederation, 1781 Chapter 14 The Northwest Ordinance, 1787 Chapter 15 The United States Constitution, 1787 Chapter 16 The Federalist on Federalism, 1787-1788 Chapter 17 The Federalist on Energetic Government, 1787-1788 Chapter 18 Antifederalist Essays and Speeches, 1787-1788 Chapter 19 The Bill of Rights, 1791 Chapter 20 Afterword: Thomas Jefferson's Letter to Roger D. Weightman, 1826 Chapter 21 Appendix: Catalog of American Founding Documents Chapter 22 Index Chapter 23 Contributors

Editorial Reviews

Published for the New York State Commission on the Bicentennial of the US Constitution. Eighteen highly readable essays focus on the most important documents of America's colonial and revolutionary past, accompanied by the complete text of each document, from the Mayflower Compact to the Bill of Rights. Paper edition (unseen), $19.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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