Forward To Freedom: The American Constitution and Humanity's Struggle for Liberty Across The Ages

by Jerry Combee, Eastland Frank (Other)

Overview

Forward to Freedom: the American Constitution and Humanity's Struggle for Liberty is a fast-paced, informative, and inspiring account of the Constitution and its historical roots. It is a must read for American citizens.

Since 1789, Americans have venerated their Constitution. As the oldest written constitution of any nation, it has also been much admired and emulated around the world. Unfortunately understanding of the principles of government contained in the Constitution and their historical roots are not well understood by many citizens, In the daily news, concepts such as separation of powers, checks and balances, limited government, enumerated powers, federalism, judicial review, the meaning of the First Amendment's guarantees of religious liberty, and other constitutional principles frequently find their way into public policy debates and media commentary. It is essential that citizens correctly understand these principles and the history behind them if they are to be able to hold political leaders accountable for staying within the bounds of the Constitution.
Many books have been written on the Constitution and its historical background. Forward to Freedom: The American Constitution and Humanity's Struggle for Liberty Across the Ages, however, differs decisively from other works.
First, it contends that for the Constitution's historical background to be adequately understood, it is insufficient to examine America's colonial and revolutionary period or even our English political and legal heritage such. The Constitution also reflects the influence of political ideas reaching back to the ancient Greeks and Romans and even earlier.
Second, Forward to Freedom presents history not as a jumbled and ultimately meaningless mass of facts--as what Macbeth said of life, "a tale told by an idiot full of sound and fury signifying nothing"--but as a process under the superintendence of Divine Providence. America's Founding Fathers often spoke of Divine Providence, expressing the belief that God's guiding hand can be discerned in America's history. They believed that God had entrusted them with the opportunity to establish free government in America but also to advance the future of freedom for all mankind. Divine Providence is therefore an idea that must be taken as seriously as separation of powers and checks and balances, for example, if we are to understand the minds of the Founding Fathers.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780996475518
Publisher:	Publish Authority
Publication date:	07/02/2018
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	222
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x 0.51(d)

About the Author

Jerry Combee, a member of Phi Beta Kappa, earned a PhD in Government from Cornell University where his mentors included the late Allan Bloom, author of the international number one bestseller, The Closing of the American Mind. During a distinguished academic career, Dr. Combee has served as president of Grove City College (Pennsylvania) and Jamestown College (North Dakota). He has authored or co-authored numerous publications, including books published by Prentice-Hall, Tyndale and Publish Authority, and an article in National Review.

Frank Eastland CEO / Founder Publish Authority PO Box 4015 Newport Beach, CA 92661 www.PublishAuthority.com

Raeghan $ebstock Publish Authority PO Box 4015 Newport Beach, CA 92661 www.PublishAuthority.com

Table of Contents

Author’s Preface

Introduction

Necessity of Government

The Concept of a Constitution

The Traditional Concept

A New Concept

Success of the American Constitution

1. LEADING TO LIBERTY

Constitutional Development in Ancient Times

THE ANCIENT MIDDLE EAST

Oriental Despotism

Divine Right of Kings

Israel

Divine Right of Kings vs. Constitutional Government

CLASSICAL GREECE

Political Science

Socrates

Plato

Aristotle

Practical Politics

The Polis

Greek vs. Barbarian

The Kinds of Constitution

Democracy, Oligarchy, Tyranny

The Greeks and Freedom

Political Progress

ROME

The Roman Republic

The Roman Empire

2. FOUNTAIN OF FREEDOM

America’s English Heritage

FROM EMPIRE TO NATION-STATE

ENGLAND IN THE MIDDLE AGES

Common Law

Kings vs. Tyrants

Magna Carta

Parliament

ENGLAND AND THE EARLY MODERN AGE

The Future of Political Freedom in England

Parliament vs. King

The Great Civil War

The English Republic

The Restoration

The Glorious Revolution

Establishing Freedom

The English Bill of Rights

The Toleration Act

New Basic Beliefs

The English Constitution

3. CONCEIVED IN LIBERTY

Constitutional Development in Colonial America

BASIC BELIEFS IN COLONIAL AMERICA

The Puritan Exodus

The Pilgrims

Puritan Political Principles

Thomas Hooker and Connecticut

Roger Williams and Rhode Island

The Real American Revolution

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

Self-Government in Colonial America

Toward Tyranny

The Sugar Act

The Stamp Act

The Townsend Acts

Samuel Adams

The Committees of Correspondence

The Boston Tea Party

The First Continental Congress

Toward War

Independence

Declaration of the Causes and Necessity

of Taking up Arms

The Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence and

the Concept of a Constitution

4. TO SECURE LIBERTY

The Constitutional Convention of 1787

UNDER THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION

New State Constitutions

Democratic Governments

Tyranny of the Majority

The Articles of Confederation

Shays’ Rebellion

THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION

The Call for a Convention

The Men of the Convention

Number of Delegates

Absentees

Description of the Delegates

Leading Delegates

The Manner of the Convention

The Virginia Plan

Decision To Write A New Constitution

Provisions of the Virginia Plan.

The New Jersey Plan

Deep Division

Provisions of the New Jersey Plan

Conflict and Compromise

Small States vs. Large States

Nationalist vs. Small Republic

The Connecticut Compromise

Federalism: A Note About Terminology

A Revolutionary Act?

A “Bundle of Compromises”

A New Order for the Ages

7. PROVIDENCE

The Constitution, the American Civil Religion,

and the Future of Freedom

America’s Civil Religion

The Future of Freedom

A Note on Sources

About the Author

Editorial Reviews

For Schools, Colleges, Teachers, and All Citizens

Jerry Combee is a serious and highly regarded scholar of American politics and history. This book is an open, comprehensive, fast-paced, and easy to understand overview of America's political history. The finest aspect of the book is the way Dr. Combee brings the philosophical and religious history of Western Civilization to bear on and illuminate the Founding and direction of America. It is a book for teachers, for high school and introductory collegiate classes in American politics, and for all citizens and legislators. I believe religious academies and colleges should especially take note.

— John T. Agresto

This Book Is Amazing!

I have often been in awe of the wisdom of the Founding Fathers who wrote our constitution. To see how radical (for their times) their thinking was and how thoroughly they understood the long-term ramifications of their work is humbling indeed. Until now I did not understand the purpose of the Federalist Papers, and Dr. Combee explains this and more so clearly. I would have liked to have studied this book 50 years ago when I was in high school. I am glad to have read it now.

Forward To Freedom should be required reading for each and every of our U.S. senators and representatives.

—Fred Hinker

5 Stars - Comprehensive Book on the Constitution

I have read many works on political philosophy and history and must say that this book ranks among the best I have encountered. Combee delivers. Most illuminating to me was his discussion of Madison and his views on Factions and how the Constitution is meant to solve them before they become a problem. Also, a quote from Gouverneur Morris about a trip he and Washington took to Valley Forge some 10 years after the Revolution took my breath away.

Comprehensive but fast-paced, this book is well worth reading.

— Amazon.com Reviewer

5 Stars - Enlightening and Educational

I learned here many details regarding the centuries long evolution of the concept of man's unalienable right to freedom. Confirms my belief that a government's role is to be more of a referee than a director.

—Amazon.com cedarphil

5 Stars - A Welcome Positive Note for America in the Current Atmosphere of Slash and Burn Analysis

As a History and Government teacher of long experience, I am always searching for a text that is accessible to my students. This book by Mr. Combee is just that sort of work; clear and concise, with a logical format, steady progression from one topic to the next, and a point of view. ... . I am using this book as a supplemental text for my classes and would recommend it to any teacher for the same.

— Amazon.com BJ

Beautifully Enlightening

The author clearly explains the surprising (to me) origins of the US Constitution. He explains beautifully the history and process that led the Founding Fathers to the development of this incredible never-before-conceived recipe for governance without tyranny. As a young citizen of the United States, I loved it!

—M. Niland

From the Publisher