Liberty Books

I first read this book for a Constitutional Law class as part of my undergraduate degree in political science. I would suspect that a good many people interested in American Constitutional Law, American political history, and theory and philosophy of law are familiar with this little book. It is actually an extended essay that first appeared in the Harvard Law Review in 1928-29. Professor Edward Corwin, professor of law at Princeton, was an historian of the Constitution.

Corwin begins the essay with a parallel very apt toward the sacrosanct way in which the American Constitution is regarded: 'The Reformation superseded an infallible Pope with an infallible Bible; the American Revolution replaced the sway of a king with that of a document.' Corwin quotes Thomas Paine who stated that 'in America the law is king.' He draws upon ancient Greek philosophers (most notably, Aristotle), Roman senators (Cicero), and medieval thinkers to develop the idea of higher power and higher law.

Corwin looks at both the transcendent and the practical nature of the law; indeed, Corwin sees them intertwined in many ways - the common law, for example, derives from common sense principles that are derived not from developed bodies of law but rather from a more natural law. Corwin states, 'Many of the rights which the Constitution of the United States protects at this moment against legislative power were first protected by the common law against one's neighbours.' Part of the idea of common law was the authority invested in the higher power, the King, and his justices. Also, the power of the King was seen as and intended as a power of justice, not injustice.

Just as authority and common law derived from natural, popular origins, so too did the idea of the limitation of human authorities (as the King was coming to be seen). Locke refers to this in his philosophy, so instrumental in the thinking of the founding fathers of the United States. The idea of the Constitutional Law being a higher law derives in part from a growing respect for the rights of individuals, a Protestant notion of 'the priesthood of all believers', and from philosophical developments.

In the American Constitution, Corwin argues, 'higher law at last attainted a form which made possible the attribution to it of an entirely new sort of validity, the validity of a statute emanating from the sovereign people.' This has led to an age of juriprudence unprecedented since the time of Justinian.

This essay holds up well over time, and gives a good historical and theoretical underpinning to understanding the Constitution of the United States, so much examined as the Supreme Court gains two new members in short order.

This book examines the life and political thought of the Catholic intellectual, Hilaire Belloc. Belloc was a radical along with his friend G. K. Chesterton and a Catholic intellectual who lived in Edwardian England. His political thinking was an attempt to provide a sort of third way between capitalism and socialism, which he christened distributivism. Much of this book deals with the turns his thinking took from his beginnings as a radical to his subsequent turn which lead to the publication of his famous book _The Servile State_ and his eventual favoring of monarchy as opposed to the party system. Opposed to socialism, distributivism allows for individual ownership of property and the means of production. Much of Belloc's thinking is opposed to modernism and retains a medieval outlook which is heavily influenced by his Catholicism. Also, Belloc broke with the party system, finding both parties to be driven by the same group of interests, and opposed the new legislation which would eventually give rise to the modern welfare state (which he predicted in his _The Servile State_). Belloc's thinking offers a unique perspective for Catholic individuals who look for an alternative philosophy to that of modern day consumerism, capitalism, and socialism. Unfortunately, society is heading more in the direction of Belloc's servile state and away from the alternative that Belloc proposed. This book offers a fine introduction to his life and the development of his political thought.

Despite this book being written just shortly after the American Revolution, it is surprisingly modern in thought and attitude. It is also the very best book I've ever read on the American Revolution and really helped me to understand it much more clearly. Here is why I liked it: 1) Ramsay gives you a very clear and understandable situation of the colonies prior to the Revolution; it all now becomes crystal clear in the reader's ming; 2) he also gives you a very easy understanding of the events that led up to war and why they occurred; 3) he provides a good account of what our political leaders were doing during the war, and he provides an equally clear picture of the English king and politicians, especially the British Parliament; 4) he never says Benjamin Franklin but always Dr. Franklin, and makes you realize the power and respect that, may I say it, Ben Franklin had at the time both here and in England, making you wonder why he wasn't elected the first president; 5) he shows you the power of lawyers (no lawyer jokes here) and how, without them, we would never have gotten our independence; 6) he wonders about the same environmental problems we worry about today, causing the reader to feel he is ahead of his time, and, 7) most importantly, the accounts of battles, big and small, and especially how the civil population tolerated all this goings-on or opposed it... Despite some of his contemporaries saying Ramsay plagerized [sp] parts of the book, I really didn't care since it flows so well, presenting so clear a picture of events and an understanding of those events.

The best work I've seen on the subject yet. A must read.

Perhaps better known for the famous quote of how "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." This work by Lord Acton is an excellent example of Europe's finest late 19th century political/historical intellectual. Acton's assertions are often dated due to the age within which he lived, but his perceptive views are worth investigating. Unfortunately Acton never wrote a single full volume of history. All that we have from Acton are compilations of his lectures, essays, and smaller works. The above such title being an example. The most interesting essay for American readers is Acton's essay on the American Revolution. A well read novice will be able to understand Acton's thesis, though his language can be somewhat difficult at times. The most fascinating aspect of this essay is Acton's assertion that America will degenerate into a "barbarous" nation unless America's black population is segregated to another country. Acton did not live long enough to see America's burgeoning civil rights movements, and was obliged to see America from the standpoint of post-Reconstruction America. The only reason I graded this work short of "10" is due to the language. Besides being fluent in five languages, Acton was an awe inspiring intellectual, and sometimes his prose reflects his intellectualism, thereyby sacrificing some readability. John R. Grac

For those interested in the American Revolution, this work is a must. Mercy Otis Warren, a witnesss to the Revolution from start to finish, offers here an eloquent, inspired, profound, and even reliable contemporary account of the epochal events that occured in the crucial period of American history beginning with the Stamp act and terminating with the adoption of the Constitution. However, unlike modern scholarly accounts of the Revolution, Warren makes no effort to remain unbiased. Throughout the work, she firmly and passionately upholds the cause and values of liberty and republicanism. Despite this, she still makes a concerted effort to portray accurately and impartially the events that took place. And while she is at all times staunchly supportive of the cause of the revolutionists, she is quick to condemn cruelty, inhumanity, dishonesty, immorality, and barbarity wherever she finds it.

With these principles firmly in mind, she relates the key figures and events beginning with the reaction to the Stamp Act in the mid-1760s. From this point, she provides an able and suprisingly veracious account of the principal political, military, and diplomatic occurences, as well as the ideological status of both the American and British people. In addition to this, she also makes a point to illuminate several important yet neglected individual and the part that they played in the struggle. The historical significance of such accounts are further augmented by the fact that Warren herself was personally acquanted, either in person or through correspondance. Her relationships, fortunately enough, were not restricted to obscure figures, but rather extended to many figures of enduring stature, such as John Adams.

Ultimately, the main value of the work is that it presents a contemporary scholarly exposition of the events of the American Revolution through the eyes of an individual who clearly embodied the libertarian and republican tendencies of the era. In the same vein, the work garners further importance as an example of the Anti-Federalist tradition. Warren, as many may know, was an outspoken opponent of the Constitution, writing as the reknowned "Columbian Patriot." The final chapter of this work offers further insight into this aspect of her though, so much so that Herbert J. Storing included it in his 7 volume collection of Anti-Federalist material.

Although the value of this work is immense, it goes without saying that one should not engage it as the definitive account of the Revolution. One should, of course, consult the works of modern scholars to gain a more comprehensive account of era. Still, Warren's volumes stand as perhaps the finest contemporary account of the Revolution, and they certainly deserve more attention than they have received in the nearly two centuries that they have been available.

This is the best clearest and simplest explanation on the medium of exchange that I have ever read! This includes Jekyll Island by Griffin and Mullins on the Federal Reserve, each of which I have read twice. North provides answers and explanations the had hitherto escaped me. Some historical and biblical references are quite palitable. A paltry 160 pages that should be read by anyone and everyone using "money", what ever it might be at the time. Get and read this book!

Though intended for middle grade and young adult readers, How Mohammed Saved Miss Liberty is an welcome novel for readers of all ages and backgrounds. After the tragedy of the September 11th attacks, life in Ohio's small town changes drastically for fourteen-year-old Mohammed and his family. Their masjid is vandalized; their family business is boycotted; he has to endure taunts and threats at middle school for being a Muslim; and worst of all, his trip to New York City with the Young Engineers Club is cancelled. Mohammed is crushed over the loss of his boyhood dream to see Miss Liberty; even when the Young Engineer's trip is suddenly rescheduled, he learns the statue is closed to the public. Determined to realize his dream of going to see it, he dares to break the rules and visit Liberty Island - not a safe thing to do in the currently hostile political climate! A thoughtful novel that invites the reader to see the world from a different perspective, and a much-needed contribution to children's literature shelves in the wake of hysteria or predispositions to assume the worst about all Muslims in the wake of 9/11.

Great book for any second grader. Entertaining. Easy the read.

Book is arranged very well, easy to understand (most) and valuable information.