An Assembly of Demigods

An Assembly of Demigods
Author: John P. Kaminski
Publisher: Parallel Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2012
Genre: Constitutional history
ISBN: 9781934795439

Writing to his dear friend John Adams from Paris in August 1787, Thomas Jefferson referred to the then-meeting Constitutional Convention as "an Assembly of demigods," a turn of phrase that reflected Jefferson's considerable confidence in the intellectual powers of the men who gathered in Philadelphia to create a new government for the United States. John Kaminski and Timothy Moore's An Assembly of Demigods introduces that cast of characters as seen through the eyes of their fellow delegates and other contemporaries. Gracious in praise, withering in critique, the Founders reflect in their own words on the people and ideas that informed--and, even more, transformed--the fabric of early national America.

The Constitution and National Security

The Constitution and National Security
Author: Howard E. Shuman
Publisher: The Minerva Group, Inc.
Total Pages: 396
Release: 2002-05
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9780898759204

The founders of our republic were determined to establish a government that protected the rights of the individual within a free society, a system that improved upon European designs. Newly independent, the Americans formed a government under the Articles of Confederation. As a loose confederation of states, however, the growing nation had a weak national voice and little international status. After only ten years under this system, the states recognized the need for more national power and drafted the U. S. Constitution.The goal, again, was to protect the individual's natural rights through the creation of an energetic national government. Thus the U. S. Constitution was written, with compromises, and submitted to the people for their ratification. After vigorous public debate, this document became the fundamental law of the land.The Constitution has endured with few additional amendments for more than two centuries - but not without continuing debate. In this newest contribution to the writings of constitutional scholars, papers address the President's war powers, the role of Congress in foreign policy, and other questions of interpreting the Constitution in the modern era. These current issues have at their core the same fundamental questions that animated debate during the Constitutional Convention in 1787: how best to protect society while guarding the rights of the individual, how best to give sufficient power to the executive while guarding against abuse of power. But even as we debate, we celebrate our Constitution, a document forged of ingrained American beliefs that our republic can be secured and the rights of the individual safeguarded. Vice Admiral J. A. Baldwin, United States Navy President, National Defense University

Me the People

Me the People
Author: Kevin Bleyer
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Total Pages: 354
Release: 2013-07-02
Genre: Humor
ISBN: 0812981685

The United States Constitution promised a More Perfect Union. It’s a shame no one bothered to write a more perfect Constitution—one that didn’t trigger more than two centuries of arguments about what the darn thing actually says. Until now. Perfection is at hand. A new, improved Constitution is here. And you are holding it. But first, some historical context: In the eighteenth century, a lawyer named James Madison gathered his friends in Philadelphia and, over four long months, wrote four short pages: the Constitution of the United States of America. Not bad. In the nineteenth century, a president named Abraham Lincoln freed an entire people from the flaws in that Constitution by signing the Emancipation Proclamation. Pretty impressive. And in the twentieth century, a doctor at the Bethesda Naval Hospital delivered a baby—but not just any baby. Because in the twenty-first century, that baby would become a man, that man would become a patriot, and that patriot would rescue a country . . . by single-handedly rewriting that Constitution. Why? We think of our Constitution as the painstakingly designed blueprint drawn up by, in Thomas Jefferson’s words, an “assembly of demigods” who laid the foundation for the sturdiest republic ever created. The truth is, it was no blueprint at all but an Etch A Sketch, a haphazard series of blunders, shaken clean and redrawn countless times during a summer of petty debates, drunken ramblings, and desperate compromise—as much the product of an “assembly of demigods” as a confederacy of dunces. No wonder George Washington wished it “had been made more perfect.” No wonder Benjamin Franklin stomached it only “with all its faults.” The Constitution they wrote is a hot mess. For starters, it doesn’t mention slavery, or democracy, or even Facebook; it plays favorites among the states; it has typos, smudges, and misspellings; and its Preamble, its most famous passage, was written by a man with a peg leg. Which, if you think about it, gives our Constitution hardly a leg to stand on. [Pause for laughter.] Now stop laughing. Because you hold in your hands no mere book, but the most important document of our time. Its creator, Daily Show writer Kevin Bleyer, paid every price, bore every burden, and saved every receipt in his quest to assure the salvation of our nation’s founding charter. He flew to Greece, the birthplace of democracy. He bused to Philly, the home of independence. He went toe-to-toe (face-to-face) with Scalia. He added nightly confabs with James Madison to his daily consultations with Jon Stewart. He tracked down not one but two John Hancocks—to make his version twice as official. He even read the Constitution of the United States. So prepare yourselves, fellow patriots, for the most significant literary event of the twenty-first, twentieth, nineteenth, and latter part of the eighteenth centuries. Me the People won’t just form a More Perfect Union. It will save America. Praise for Me the People “I would rather read a constitution written by Kevin Bleyer than by the sharpest minds in the country.”—Jon Stewart “Bleyer takes a red pencil to democracy’s most hallowed laundry list. . . . Uproarious and fascinating.”—Reader’s Digest “I knew James Madison. James Madison was a friend of mine. Mr. Bleyer, you are no James Madison. But you sure are a heck of a lot more fun.”—Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Team of Rivals

Founding Myths

Founding Myths
Author: Ray Raphael
Publisher: New Press, The
Total Pages: 434
Release: 2014-07-04
Genre: History
ISBN: 159558949X

First published ten years ago, award-winning historian Ray Raphael’s Founding Myths has since established itself as a landmark of historical myth-busting. With the author’s trademark wit and flair, Founding Myths exposes the errors and inventions in America’s most cherished tales, from Paul Revere’s famous ride to Patrick Henry’s “Liberty or Death” speech. For the seventy thousand readers who have been captivated by Raphael’s eye-opening accounts, history has never been the same. In this revised tenth-anniversary edition, Raphael revisits the original myths and explores their further evolution over the past decade, uncovering new stories and peeling back additional layers of misinformation. This new edition also examines the highly politicized debates over America’s past, as well as how school textbooks and popular histories often reinforce rather than correct historical mistakes. A book that “explores the truth behind the stories of the making of our nation” (National Public Radio), this revised edition of Founding Myths will be a welcome resource for anyone seeking to separate historical fact from fiction.

Keeping the Republic

Keeping the Republic
Author: Christine Barbour
Publisher: CQ Press
Total Pages: 745
Release: 2020-12-07
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1544393660

Keeping the Republic gives students the power to examine the narrative of what′s going on in American politics, distinguish fact from fiction and balance from bias, and influence the message through informed citizenship. Keeping the Republic draws students into the study of American politics, showing them how to think critically about "who gets what, and how" while exploring the twin themes of power and citizenship. The thoroughly updated Tenth Edition considers the influences of today’s technology and social media on politics and civic engagement. With the communication of ideas and information easier than ever, it’s increasingly challenging to filter through all the voices and biases to assess the facts and find balance. Throughout the text and its features, authors Christine Barbour and Gerald C. Wright show students how to effectively apply the critical thinking skills they develop to the political information they encounter every day. Students are challenged to deconstruct prevailing political narratives and effectively harness the political power of the information age for themselves. New content analyzes not only the 2020 election results and Supreme Court rulings, but also examines the activism of the Black Lives Matter movement, political outsiders in campaigns and party nominations, the federal government′s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the presidency of Donald Trump. With students living through one of the most challenging periods in American life, Keeping the Republic, Tenth Edition, is there to be a much-needed resource to help them make sense of politics in America today and become savvy consumers of political information. This title is accompanied by a complete teaching and learning package. Contact your SAGE representative to request a demo. Digital Option / Courseware SAGE Vantage is an intuitive digital platform that delivers this text’s content and course materials in a learning experience that offers auto-graded assignments and interactive multimedia tools, all carefully designed to ignite student engagement and drive critical thinking. Built with you and your students in mind, it offers simple course set-up and enables students to better prepare for class. Learn more. Assignable Video with Assessment Assignable video (available with SAGE Vantage) is tied to learning objectives and curated exclusively for this text to bring concepts to life. Watch a sample video now. LMS Cartridge: Import this title’s instructor resources into your school’s learning management system (LMS) and save time. Don’t use an LMS? You can still access all of the same online resources for this title via the password-protected Instructor Resource Site. Learn more. CQ Press Lecture Spark: Designed to save you time and ignite student engagement, these free weekly lecture launchers focus on current event topics tied to key concepts in American Government. Access this week’s topic.

The American Miracle

The American Miracle
Author: Michael Medved
Publisher: Forum Books
Total Pages: 418
Release: 2017-09-05
Genre: History
ISBN: 0553447289

Bestselling author and radio host Michael Medved recounts some of the most significant events in America’s rise to prosperity and power, from the writing of the Constitution to the Civil War. He reveals a record of improbabilities and amazements that demonstrate what the Founders always believed: that events unfolded according to a master plan, with destiny playing an unmistakable role in lifting the nation to greatness. Among the stirring, illogical episodes described here: • A band of desperate religious refugees find themselves blown hopelessly off course, only to be deposited at the one spot on a wild continent best suited for their survival • George Washington’s beaten army, surrounded by a ruthless foe and on the verge of annihilation, manages an impossible escape due to a freakish change in the weather • A famous conqueror known for seizing territory, frustrated by a slave rebellion and a frozen harbor, impulsively hands Thomas Jefferson a tract of land that doubles the size of the United States • A weary soldier picks up three cigars left behind in an open field and notices the stogies have been wrapped in a handwritten description of the enemy’s secret battle plans—a revelation that gives Lincoln the supernatural sign he’s awaited in order to free the slaves When millions worry over the nation losing its way, Medved’s sweeping narrative, bursting with dramatic events and lively portraits of unforgettable, occasionally little-known characters, affirms America as “fortune’s favorite,” shaped by a distinctive destiny from our beginnings to the present day.

Age of Demigods

Age of Demigods
Author: Max Fierce
Publisher: XinXii
Total Pages: 204
Release: 2020-06-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 3969310830

After an exhibition tour goes wrong and his mother is captured, a young boy discovers his true identity as a demigod and is introduced into the world of gods and monsters. Forced to make hard decisions, he faces a series of challenges in order to protect the world from evil forces.

Keeping the Republic: Power and Citizenship in American Politics, 6th Edition The Essentials

Keeping the Republic: Power and Citizenship in American Politics, 6th Edition The Essentials
Author: Christine Barbour
Publisher: CQ Press
Total Pages: 729
Release: 2013-01-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1452240035

Every section and every feature in the book has one goal in mind: to get students to think critically and be skeptical of received wisdom. Serving as a true aid to teachers, each chapter is designed to build students' analytical abilities. By introducing them to the seminal work in the field and showing them how to employ the themes of power and citizenship, this proven text builds confidence in students who want to take an active part in their communities and governmentuto play their part in keeping the republic, and to consider the consequences of that engagement.