Using the British Empire as a case study; this succinct study argues that the establishment of overseas settlements in America created a problem of constitutional organization that created deep and persistent tensions within the empire during the colonial era and that the failure to resolve it was the principal element in the decision of thirteen continental colonies to secede from the empire in 1776. Challenging those historians who have assumed that the British had the law on their side during the debates that led to the American Revolution; this volume argues that the empire had long exhibited a high degree of constitutional multiplicity; with each colony having its own discrete constitution and the empire as whole having an uncodified working customary constitution that determined the way authority was distributed within the empire. Contending that these constitutions cannot be conflated with the metropolitan British constitution; it argues that British refusal to accept the legitimacy of colonial understandings of the sanctity of the many colonial constitutions and the imperial constitution was the critical element leading to the American Revolution.
#351172 in Books Michael C Heller 2016-12-13Original language:English 9.00 x .61 x 6.00l; .0 #File Name: 0520285417272 pagesLoft Jazz Improvising New York in the 1970s
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. great history of the origins of NYC jazz loft scene.By jsohello; first of all; a disclosure: i am friends with the author; but i want to give an unbiased; fair review here. so here goes: this is an easy-to-read; scholarly book; as well a superb reference source. i first read this as the author's doctoral thesis at harvard. it took me a bit to get into the flow of the narrative; since the author goes back-and-forth between his informative interchanges with jazz musician/historian; juma sultan; and his own insights. however; this is a must-read book for those who are interested in the origin of the free-jazz movement in the lower east side area of NYC. make no mistake; this is a superbly annotated book; if you buy it; you will learn so much from just seeing all of the references. that being said; this was both a fun and informative read. if you want to know how the free-jazz; loft movement evolved in NYC; this is a mandatory purchase. i bought the hard-cover version as a permanent addition to my library. (and; and btw; buy george lewis' book as well on the AACM; whose similarly creative music developed at the same time in chicago).1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. I'm enjoying this book very much. I just began ...By Mischa FalkenburgI'm enjoying this book very much. I just began reading while on the beach during Labor Day. The first chapter "could" have been substituted as the introduction; but this would be my ONLY "complaint".I would encourage (as I feel the author does as well) anyone else with access to other archives should carry this ball a bit further. I was spending my free time during those years in NYC; but sadly; I don't have the archive re: "Loft Jazz. The time is fleeting as we are all getting a bit older every day.4 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Steaming Pile of Academic VerbiageBy Jean ElkinAs a jazz fan; I was excited to see a new book about one of the great periods for the music; the 70s lofts. Unfortunately; it would be hard to imagine a more pretentious treatment of that topic than Heller's. Pages are taken up with the kind of academic drivel that feels like navel gazing. I ended up skimming through entire sections in search of actual information. The whole book felt like a lost opportunity.
