The New Deal is often said to represent a sea change in American constitutional history; overturning a century of precedent to permit an expanded federal government; increased regulation of the economy; and eroded property protections. John Compton offers a surprising revision of this familiar narrative; showing that nineteenth-century evangelical Protestants; not New Deal reformers; paved the way for the most important constitutional developments of the twentieth century.Following the great religious revivals of the early 1800s; American evangelicals embarked on a crusade to eradicate immorality from national life by destroying the property that made it possible. Their cause represented a direct challenge to founding-era legal protections of sinful practices such as slavery; lottery gambling; and buying and selling liquor. Although evangelicals urged the judiciary to bend the rules of constitutional adjudication on behalf of moral reform; antebellum judges usually resisted their overtures. But after the Civil War; American jurists increasingly acquiesced in the destruction of property on moral grounds.In the early twentieth century; Oliver Wendell Holmes and other critics of laissez-faire constitutionalism used the judiciary's acceptance of evangelical moral values to demonstrate that conceptions of property rights and federalism were fluid; socially constructed; and subject to modification by democratic majorities. The result was a progressive constitutional regime--rooted in evangelical Protestantism--that would hold sway for the rest of the twentieth century.
#133200 in Books Raymond Geuss Thomas R mer 2015-12-14Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.40 x 1.10 x 6.40l; .0 #File Name: 0674504976320 pagesThe Invention of God
Review
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful. The Reinvention of GodBy Robert P. Neuman is a retired college professor and management consultantProbably better to call this excellent book The Reinvention of God because it chronicles the evolution and recreation of an obscure wind and warrior god of a Middle Eastern nomadic tribe into the only god complete with a sacred book and a monotheistic ideology that still shapes three of the world's major religions. While the book is accessible to dedicated lay readers; it sometimes lapses into academic jargon and technical detail that is off-putting. Some readers may benefit; as I did; from first reading the same author's reader-friendly paperback; DARK GOD: CRUELTY; SEX; AND VIOLENCE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. As a fan of Sigmund Freud; I was disappointed to see that Roemer dismisses Freud's classic work on Moses and Monotheism with a passing remark and a single footnote. Nevertheless; this is a classic piece of historical analysis.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Interesting thinking about God and why we capitalize his name.By Steven Stanzione MDThis is a deep thinker with a good writing skill; able to express his thoughts in a well constructed way. Whether you agree with him or not; he has worked out his theories with logic and clear thinking.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A very good analysis of ancient civilizationsBy Bala N. AiyerWell analyzed and well written book with alternate thinking. I am not sure about its authenticity but I enjoyed reading it. Everyone should read this.
