| Contents |
Part One: The constitution of ancient Athens -- Ancient Greece and American constitutionalism -- The evolution of Athenian democracy : model and contrast for American democratic development -- The empire of reason : Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle -- Part Two: The constitution of ancient Rome -- Rome, America, and the importance of Roman law -- Roman law and American law : comparisons and contrasts -- Roman law from the monarchy to the republic -- The republic in decline and the empire -- Part Three: The English Constitution and English common law -- The importance and origins of the English Constitution -- English law from the conquest to Magna Carta, 1066-1215 -- From Magna Carta to the origins of parliament -- Henry VII and the foundations of Tudor constitutionalism -- Henry VIII, Thomas Cromwell, and the Tudor constitutional revolution -- James I and the start of the English constitutional crisis of the Seventeenth Century -- From civil war to glorious revolution -- From classical and common law background to American constitutionalism. |
| Abstract |
"Uncovering the Roots of the U.S. ConstitutionAmerica's Constitution did not spring up suddenly in 1787. The framers were influenced at every turn by a tradition of constitutional development dating back to ancient times. That constitutional heritage passes almost unnoticed today--despite the fact that it has influenced legislators, judges, statesmen, and scholars for more than two hundred years.Political scientist and legal scholar Matthew Pauley remedies this problem by shining a light on the three most important influences on the American constitutional experience: ancient Greece, ancient Rome, and England. All three helped shape the American system. Athens, for example, emphasized the rule of law and, at least for a time, a kind of democracy. From Rome we derived our commitment to natural law. England provided a tradition of representative government and the common law, as well as models for a jury system, judicial precedent, and habeas corpus and other writs.There is no better way to understand the history of constitutionalism than to examine the evolution of the ancient Athenian, Roman, and English constitutions. Highly readable, Athens, Rome, and England: America's Constitutional Heritage tells the fascinating story of the influence these traditions and cultures had on the U.S. experience. No student of law and government can afford to ignore it"-- Provided by publisher. |
| Abstract |
"Traces the development of constitutional law and theory from classical time through medieval England up to the time of the drafting of the US Constitution, demonstrating a through line of development"-- Provided by publisher. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 205-216) and index. |
| Access restriction | Available only to authorized users. |
| Technical details | Mode of access: World Wide Web |
| Genre/form | Electronic books. |
| LCCN | 2013050738 |
| ISBN | 9781610170833 (pbk.) |
| ISBN | 1610170830 (pbk.) |
