I am working on another book on the US constitution. As you know, I have decided this year to read a few shorter books on the principles of that document and I am already in that place where I am both confused and starting to argue with authors - a little learning is a dangerous thing.
One thing I am struck by is how these sorts of books would never make it to the shelves of a Canadian bookstore like Chapters. We may have biographies of leaders as pop reading but not an explanation of the legal basis of how the nation works. Another is the simplicity of the 18th century texts upon which the most powerful nation on earth exists. How a modern, technological and professionalized urban society gets its primary guidance from what was a rural, agricultural amateur thinkers is quite stunning and implies a faith in those fathers as a collective, a faith strong enough to warrant a certain stasis in development of what is in deference to what was.
If I was asked to seek legal guidance from our leaders or thinkers from around the 1780s I would laugh. Blackstone is all very good as source of an illustration of a point but I would hardly want to live in that world or expect him to have anticipated mine.
Comments
Alan - July 11, 2005 4:14 PM
It is a very good read:<ul><li>The chapter on Habeaus Corpus was great;</li><li> I am supported in my concern for legislative and executive over-ride of the judiciary as being nothing more than a modern bill of attainment; and</li><li> it presents a very good historical argument (including much citation of statements by the main players) rejected by present day courts in the name of those same founding fathers, that the argument that establishment of religion means financial support for any chruch by the Federal Government is unconstitutional not just no "Church of the USA".</li></ul>
Dr_Funk - July 11, 2005 11:40 PM
I like Chapters, but it just isn't a serious bookstore for any kind of specialist. Most of the time for anything serious in terms of history/military history (my particular poison) I have to turn to the university bookstores or to Amazon.ca. It helps being in a larger city with two (+) universities. There are some used bookstores that are good for remaindered textbooks and serious books.
Alan - July 12, 2005 8:17 AM
Oh, I know but if you go into any US Borders there is a history section that is quite amazing at least from our perspective.
Hans - July 12, 2005 11:38 AM
Maybe the writings Jefferson & Adams & Madison & Franklin & Hamilton et al. really were that brilliant that you could base a modern nation on them. Also, there was no one in our part of North America at the time that could have fashioned and penned that kind of stuff, whether timeless or not.
Alan - July 12, 2005 11:42 AM
Spoken like someone not raised in Nova Scotia. The writings of Joe Howe, for example, are incredibly good stuff - this stuff should be pop reading.
Hans - July 12, 2005 11:55 AM
Joe Howe would be about 100 years after Jefferson?
Alan - July 12, 2005 12:07 PM
His early writings would start from his beginning as editor of <i>the Nova Scotian</i> in 1821 and his first election to responsible government would be 1836 or so, just forty-odd years after the US bill of rights discussions.
Alan - July 12, 2005 12:08 PM
Jefferson was president of the US from 1800 to 1808 but as an old man. He was a vital part of the revolutionary generation, born in 1741.
Hans - July 12, 2005 12:55 PM
I thought Howe was writing around the 1860s, but there you go, I wasn't born in NS.
I suppose I will actually have to read some of his work before I compare him to Jefferson with whom I am favourably familiar.