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Cornerstone of Liberty: Property Rights in 21st Century America Paperback – December 7, 2015
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- Print length220 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherCato Institute
- Publication dateDecember 7, 2015
- Dimensions6.07 x 0.47 x 8.92 inches
- ISBN-101939709814
- ISBN-13978-1939709813
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About the Author
Christina Sandefur is Vice President for Policy at the Goldwater Institute, where she develops strategic plans to transform public policy ideas into real-world results and litigates cases advancing economic liberty, private property, free speech, and taxpayer rights. She is a graduate of Hillsdale College and the Michigan State University College of Law, where she served as notes editor on the Michigan State Law Review.
Product details
- Publisher : Cato Institute
- Publication date : December 7, 2015
- Edition : Second
- Language : English
- Print length : 220 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1939709814
- ISBN-13 : 978-1939709813
- Item Weight : 10.4 ounces
- Dimensions : 6.07 x 0.47 x 8.92 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,655,915 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #158 in Property Law (Books)
- #264 in United States Judicial Branch
- #891 in General Constitutional Law
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors

Timothy Sandefur is Vice President for Legal Affairs at the Goldwater Institute, where he also holds the Duncan Chair for Constitutional Government. He has won important legal victories for free enterprise and property rights in Arizona, California, Kentucky, Missouri, Oregon, and other states. He is the author of several books, including Cornerstone of Liberty: Property Rights in 21st Century America (coauthored with Christina Sandefur, 2016), The Conscience of The Constitution (2014), The Permission Society (2016), The Right to Earn A Living (2010), Frederick Douglass: Self-Made Man (2018), The Ascent of Jacob Bronowski (2019), and Some Notes on the Silence (2022), as well as dozens of scholarly articles on subjects ranging from eminent domain and economic liberty to copyright, evolution and creationism, slavery and the Civil War, and the political philosophy of Shakespeare, ancient Greek drama, and Star Trek. He is an Adjunct Scholar with the Cato Institute, and his articles have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, National Review, The Weekly Standard, Reason, The Objective Standard, and elsewhere. He is a frequent guest on radio and television programs, including John Stossel, Kennedy, The Armstrong and Getty Show, and CPSAN's Book TV.

Christina Sandefur is Executive Vice President at the Goldwater Institute, where she works in courtrooms, legislatures, and communities to defend and strengthen the freedom guaranteed to all Americans in the constitutions of the United States and all fifty states. She also litigates cases advancing free enterprise, private property rights, free speech, and taxpayer rights.
Christina has won important victories for property rights in Arizona and works nationally to promote the Institute's Property Ownership Fairness Act, a state-level reform requires government to pay owners when regulations destroy property rights and reduce property values.
She is also a co-drafter of the Right to Try initiative, now law in over half of the states, which protects terminally ill patients' right to try promising investigational treatments that have been prescribed by their physician but are not yet FDA approved for market.
Christina is the co-author of the book Cornerstone of Liberty: Private Property Rights in 21st Century America (2016). She is a frequent guest on national television and radio programs, including Fox Business's Stossel, Dick Morris, and The Armstrong & Getty Show. Her litigation and policy work has been featured in National Review, The Washington Post, Human Events, The American Spectator, and The Weekly Standard, among others. Christina has provided expert legal testimony to various legislative committees and is a frequent speaker at conferences. Prior to joining the Goldwater Institute, Christina worked for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy in Midland, Michigan. She is a graduate of Michigan State University College of Law and Hillsdale College.
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- Reviewed in the United States on February 29, 2024Format: KindleVerified PurchaseThe opening chapters of the book are amazing and should be required reading for every student in the United States. America was founded on the work ethic of hard working Americans who were able to create and build wealth through property rights. It’s essential that we understand the connection between property rights and freedom. And the authors do an amazing job of showing and demonstrating their hidden connection.
I would give the first third of the book 10 stars out of 5. I would give the second third of the book 7 stars out of 5. And the last third, I would give 5 out of 5 stars. The first third of the book is amazing. The second third is great. And the last third is better than most books. Well worth the price. A book that should be in your library of books. And a book that helps us to understand how our nation got it so right and then went so wrong. Marvelous!
- Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2015Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseThis updated edition of the Cornerstone of Liberty is the one of the best, if not the best, end-to-end articulations and defenses of property rights I have read. This concise and well-written volume covers the importance of property rights morally and practically while offering steps we can take to end the erosion of property rights that has been occurring in the United States over the last century.
The book has 4 chapters (covering 160 pages), all of which are excellent, but I want to draw attention to the first and last chapters as they are truly outstanding. The first chapter covers “Why property rights are important” and stresses the moral and practical benefits of property rights as well as true horrors of life without property.
The discussion of sentimental value (wedding rings, family heirlooms, personal mementos, etc.) has this wonderful quote on the tie between property and our values: “ We often literally love these things, not for their material value, but because they represent – physically embody – our values.” The entire chapter explains important theoretical concepts and ideas (property as natural, the “right to huddle”, “expressive association”, “the tragedy of the commons”, etc.) with vivid, real life examples and quotes. The passages from Frederick Douglass on ownership and slavery were especially meaningful to me as Douglass has been a hero of mine since childhood. The horrors of life without property are also demonstrated in a dramatic fashion to show what the absence of property rights means in practice.
After covering “The Place of Property Rights in the American Constitution” and “State of Property Rights Today”, the Sandefur’s discuss “A Path to Reform” in the final chapter. They highlight the reforms that are working in Arizona under Proposition 207 as well as a series of ideas for regaining the property rights we have lost and protecting them into the future. Most importantly, they stress the need for individuals to fight for their right to property by returning to the fundamental principles upon which that rests. The Sandefur’s practice what they preach - they are working hard in defending property rights through this book and the institutions they work for.
I highly recommend reading this book and joining them in the battle for defending property rights as a means to fulfilling one’s own life and happiness by protecting the things we value and love while securing the foundation of human liberty.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2018Format: KindleVerified PurchaseSolid arguments against |Eminent Domain intrinsic evil; but not |juice" to change it; many better books if you face the scourge of God; Eminent Domain- always an abuse!
- Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2016Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseExcellent read! I was blown away with the real world examples of how over zealous bureaucrats have taken property rights away. This book lays the foundation of how important private property rights are, examples of where we are losing or have lost them, and a clear path to get back on track where we need to be. I learned a great deal by reading this book and highly recommend it. I'm inspired to be part of the solution to turn back the horrible mess we have and bring back property rights to where they should be. I believe most people would be shocked to find out how far we have slipped down the slippery slope. Just do a search on "Civil Asset Forfeiture" read some of the outrageous things going on, buy the book, read it and get involved.
Kudos to the authors, Timothy Sandefur and Christina Sandefur; job well done! I must point out they are from the great state of Arizona.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2021Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseExcellent resource on property rights. Lots of references to anyone seeking a better understanding of property rights.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2016Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseThis book is about 160 pages of good information on what is happening to people's property rights. It is very interesting and somewhat scary when you see how our government has misinterpreted the property rights laws and how the Supreme Court is going along with it. Lots of information in this book that will help you if you find yourself involved in an imminent domain situation. It can happen to anyone anywhere.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2016Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseFantastic book. I bought three copies to give away. Doesn't matter if you are a republican or a democrat, this is a book for Americans who love freedom.
- Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2017Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseVery good book. Shows how much government has eroded the rights of property owners.







