Power and Liberty, Gordon S. Wood
Power and Liberty, Gordon S. Wood
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Power and Liberty
Constitutionalism in the American Revolution

Author: Gordon S. Wood

Narrator: David Colacci

Unabridged: 7 hr 5 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 12/28/2021


Synopsis

The half century extending from the imperial crisis between Britain and its colonies in the 1760s to the early decades of the new republic of the United States was the greatest and most creative era of constitutionalism in American history, and perhaps in the world. During these decades, Americans explored and debated all aspects of politics and constitutionalism—the nature of power, liberty, representation, rights, the division of authority between different spheres of government, sovereignty, judicial authority, and written constitutions. The results of these issues produced institutions that have lasted for over two centuries.

In this new book, eminent historian Gordon S. Wood distills a lifetime of work on constitutional innovations during the Revolutionary era. In concise form, he illuminates critical events in the nation's founding, ranging from the imperial debate that led to the Declaration of Independence to the revolutionary state constitution making in 1776 and the creation of the Federal Constitution in 1787. Among other topics, he discusses slavery and constitutionalism, the emergence of the judiciary as one of the major tripartite institutions of government, the demarcation between public and private, and the formation of states' rights.

About Gordon S. Wood

Gordon S. Wood, the Alva O. Way University Professor and Professor of History Emeritus at Brown University, received his A.B. from Tufts University and his Ph.D. from Harvard University. His 1970 book The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787 was nominated for the National Book Award and received the Bancroft and John H. Dunning Prizes. In 1993 he won the Pulitzer Prize for The Radicalism of the American Revolution. Gordon lives in Providence, Rhode Island.


Reviews

Goodreads review by James on December 26, 2021

Wood continues to impress me as our foremost historian of the founding of the republic. Here he presents a short, pointed summary of his thoughts on the political foundations of the Constitution, an analysis that continues to inform much of our current state. As always, Wood's writing is lively and......more

Goodreads review by Joe on May 10, 2022

This is a gem. A deep dive in a slim volume into the social, economic, legal and political forces that gave rise to and shaped our Constitution. If you read only one book about the Founding, this is the one to read (maybe twice).......more

Goodreads review by Bradd on February 16, 2022

The most surprising item from Wood’s book is that the constitution every American is so proud of was written not as a way to expand or enhance democracy but as a way of holding it in check. When the various colonies of America had declared themselves liberated from England and claimed to be a republ......more

Goodreads review by Jason on January 04, 2023

Wood, who got his two minutes of fame as the subject of a quote in Good Will Hunting ("you're gonna be in here regurgitating Gordon Wood, talkin' about, you know, the pre-revolutionary utopia and the capital-forming effects of military mobilization"), is nearing the end of a prolific, 50+ year caree......more

Goodreads review by Richard on September 04, 2021

Gordon Wood, a gifted historian, applies his highly respected talents to the history and evolution of the American brand of a “constitution,” but he skims the underlying political machinations, and that’s annoying. Power and Liberty offers details galore about the thinking, historical foundations, te......more