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With our nation divided and our Constitution and rights under daily siege, now is the time to understand the 'why' and the 'how' of the system of rights and government established by the Constitution. Preventing tyranny was key in creating the new system. No tyrants, no despots: instead, a system of rights, separate powers, checks and balances. Why and how did Americans conceive a republic built on individual liberty, in an era of oppressive monarchies?
The book is concise and to the point. The author tells the story of how the founding charters of the American colonies contained the seeds of American rebellion in the 1760s and 1770s; and of how partial independence as British colonies, the innovations in the first American constitutions (the State constitutions), and the failure of the States' first attempt to federate, all influenced the Framers in drafting the final Constitution. The book also describes how the American Revolution was shaped by the English revolutions of the 1600s, which led to a new English constitution, under which Parliament and the English people had many powers and rights which superseded the King's.
List of contents
Introduction
Chapter 1 Before the Revolution: The System of Government in America
Chapter 2 The End of Tyranny? The English Revolution
Chapter 3 The Original Legislature: The Origins of Parliament
Chapter 4 The British Executive: The Prime Minister Supersedes the King
Chapter 5 British Coercion, American Resistance
Chapter 6 The First American Constitutions: The State Constitutions
Chapter 7 The Confederation Was Not Enough
Chapter 8 The Revolution Is Secured: The Constitution Is Born
Epilogue
Appendix 1 The Legal Status of the Colonies
Appendix 2 1790 Census Data
Appendix 3 The Origins of the Common Law
Acknowledgments
Bibliography
Further Reading
About the Author
About the author
By James D. R. Philips
Summary
How and why did Americans conceive a republic built on individual liberty, in an era or oppressive monarchies? The author explores the origins of the rights and liberties which the Constitution protects. He tells the story of the revolutionary journey from British colonies to a nation with the world’s first written Constitution.
