Original Intent: The Courts, the Constitution, and Religion [Paperback]

David Barton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1997 | ISBN-10: 0925279579 | ISBN-13: 978-0925279576 | Edition: 2nd

A look at how the Supreme Court has reinterpreted the Constitution, diluting its Biblical foundations. Original Intent reveals the Founders' beliefs about religion in public affairs, the courts, limited federal powers, States' rights, and numerous other issues. Great for use in arenas where historical accuracy is a must.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Barton is founder and president of WallBuilders, a national pro-family organization which distributes historical, legal, and statistical information, and helps citizens become active in their local schools and communities. He was appointed by the Texas State Board of Education and the California Academic Standards Commission to review their History/Social Studies standards.

David is the recipient of several national and international awards, including the Daughters of the American Revolution Medal of Honor; the George Washington Honor Medal; two Angel Awards for excellence in media and educational medium, many Who's Who, and numerous other awards.

He is the author of numerous books on historical, legal, and educational issues. David is a national conference speaker and a frequent consultant to state and federal legislators.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: WallBuilder Press; 2nd edition (May 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0925279579
• ISBN-13: 978-0925279576
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (144 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #996,471 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Barton is the founder of WallBuilders, an organization dedicated to presenting America's forgotten history and heroes, with an emphasis on our moral, religious, and constitutional heritage. David is author of numerous best-selling works and a national award-winning historian who brings a fresh perspective to history.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

257 of 300 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Original Intent by David Barton, A must read, June 11, 2008

By 

" Anti Microchip " "Jesus Christ can ... (Desolation America) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Original Intent: The Courts, the Constitution & Religion (Paperback)

Original Intent By David Barton

This book has meticulous foot notes and references to it's sources. Barton uses the words of the founding fathers themselves to make his points. He uses actual court cases, and even puts the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence in the back of the book for your reference. The author presents the material in a clear and precise manner, and the reader can easily look up, reference, and test his conclusions themselves (his footnotes and index make it that easy) ..... Better yet, Barton actually invites the reader to read the federalist and anti-federalist (the words of the founding fathers themselves) papers after reading this book . If Barton's conclusions are false as some have concluded he's definitely a horrible revisionist since he gives the reader all the ammunition in the world to check his sources and refute him.

This book has done more for my understanding our founding fathers than the many secular based history texts I've pawned through. The author is thorough, complete, and as I said earlier he gives the reader all the power by giving him/her the power to reference the original documents. The truth is many of our founding fathers were Christians, did read the bible, and most wouldn't approve of the course of action taken against religious expression in our country today. This is a worthy read for the Christian and secular skeptic alike. Truly, this is a must read!!!!

Postscript: There have been many attacks on this book and those who give favorable reviews to it (as of this date the reviews are 44 five star reviews and 30 some one star reviews). Instead of believing what any man says I urge the reader to do what I'm doing.... Look up the material yourself... Read the book, check it's sources, and make your own conclusion... Don't let the many individuals who leave nasty comments under these reviews steal from you your right to make your own conclusion....

249 of 301 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good summary of the founding fathers' views, May 5, 2008

By 

J. Adams "History buff" (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Original Intent: The Courts, the Constitution & Religion (Paperback)

I guess it is not surprising to find so many one-star reviews about a book that dispels so many myths about the original intent of the founding fathers' who wrote the Constitution. Of course there can be some fault found with some of the citations used by Barton in this wonderful book, but those who find fault with the citations cannot really overcome the overwhelming evidence in this book that the current courts have far overstepped anything that the founders intended in not recognizing and establishing a single church vs. their views that religion is a fundamental foundation for the Declaration of Independence as well as the Constitution.
If you read this book, you should also read the Federalist Papers, the words and works of the founders, including Washington's first inaugural address to understand that the current courts have radically departed from the intentions of the founders when it came to the role of religion, vs. established churches in the USA. For many generations, the original intent of the founders was well understood, but it was only until the 20th century that judges decided to re-write the Constitution and take on the role of "a national theology board" that makes earlier debates about how many angels fit on the head of a pin look enlightened.
A must-read for anyone wondering where our nation has gone wrong.

109 of 134 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Will the real revisionist please stand up?, December 26, 2007

By 

Mad Maxine (North Augusta, SC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Original Intent: The Courts, the Constitution & Religion (Paperback)

This book has 55 pages of footnotes that reference original documents referred to in this book. The book only has 533 pages which means over ten percent of it is footnotes.

The people who accuse this book of revisionist history have clearly never checked out any of the original documents. And do not supply more than one or two footnotes.
I haven't checked them all out myself but I have checked out many, and I trust the man who refers to the original material more than I trust people who think name calling is a valid argument. This book is for real, the negative reviewers are just blowing bias a smokescreen in your faces.