The four primary documents that, since 1878, formed a type of 'preamble' to the revised United States Code the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Northwest Ordinance, and the Constitution are brought together here for the first time in a single volume. Political theorist Richard Cox introduces these founding 'laws' of America, places them in historical context, examines the leaders who introduced them, and discusses how and why these documents were given such an important place in the U.S. Code. Cox explains the significance of the code's revision in the aftermath of the Civil War and Reconstruction.Designed for students and general readers, "Four Pillars of Constitutionalism" explores how each of the four components of our nation's legal history was developed and their main features, including the full text of each document, and a bibliography of selected readings. This work is a handy, accessible, and very useful supplement to the study of constitutional law, history, and American political thought.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent Review,
By Jasphil (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Four Pillars of Constitutionalism: The Organic Laws of the United States (Paperback)
If the other reviewers are having trouble determining the value of the "Four Pillars" or perhaps Dr. Cox's thesis in general, perhaps they would have received more value out of spending a semester or two in Dr. Cox's classes on "Politics and Rhetoric" and "American Political Thought" while he taught at the University of Buffalo. In those courses he used the excellent book "The Constitution of 1787" to demonstrate the importance of the four most important documents in American political and social life. I found this book to be cogent and a refresher course from my years as a political science student at the University of Buffalo.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Authentic and Vital Intorduction to Organic Law,
By A Customer
This review is from: Four Pillars of Constitutionalism: The Organic Laws of the United States (Paperback)
The book consists of two parts: Mr. Cox's long introduction, and the texts of four historical documents. The intorduction is not neutral; Mr. Cox attempts to form an argument for modern use of these texts as important legal documents, not merely rhetoric or politics. One may or may not agree with Mr. Cox's propositions, but the fact that he attempts a meaningful study and arguments with these old texts should be applauded. Reading the actual texts contained here may not be exciting per se, but for those interested in law or philosophy, this book is highly valuable. This book provides authentic copies of important historical documents, and presents them in a way which makes them vital and important to modern times.
1 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Good Collection, But Unimpressive Presentation,
By A Customer
This review is from: Four Pillars of Constitutionalism: The Organic Laws of the United States (Paperback)
In my opinion, this book is just a collection of the four documents that have or do define the pillars that support the foundation of America. The author tries to convey his goal in interpreting these four documents but he does a poor job at making the goal clear. The consequence is that the reader is left to ponder exactly what points are being made throughout. And in the end, the conclusion is effectively meaningless since there was no possibility for the reader to achieve a focus on the gist of what Cox intended. I would not recommend this book unless all you want are these four founding documents under one cover.
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