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.
#772680 in Books Clear Light 1998-03-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 1.25 x 6.30 x 9.88l; 1.65 #File Name: 0940666502414 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy JesseArrived quickly and just as described.0 of 2 people found the following review helpful. package came quicker then i expected. Have read through ...By Philip Martinezpackage came quicker then i expected. Have read through the book once; and now going over it once more. I have had a lot of people on the train inquire about this book.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Eye-OpeningBy BibliophiledwIf you want to know what it has Really been like for the First Nations People; this is a good start. From our Constitution; primarily borrowed from the Iroquois Confederacy; into present times; one learns how things happened and why. If books authored by many of the American Indian writers were provided in Lower School classes up to and through College level; we would understand how we have arrived at the place we are; i.e.; not one single Treaty was ever kept between "the Great White Father" and the American Indians. Not one. I've often fantasized what our Country would look like had we'd ever had a succession of First Nation People as President. When one lives off the land and their entire self-sufficiency comes as a result of that; one cares for it quite differently. It also makes for independence and that was immediately at odds with the Founding "Fathers" who saw land as property while the American Indian had no concept of ownership; but rather a most generous gift from the Great Spirit. We need their wisdom today and; if we would follow it; could possibly pull back from the brink and let Mother Earth heal.
