Athens, Rome, and England: America's Constitutional Heritage

Description

Uncovering the roots of the U.S. Constitution The U.S. Constitution influences nearly every aspect of our lives. But for all the fierce disputes about what the Constitution means, the historical foundations of America’s legal and political institutions pass almost unnoticed today.   This is a glaring oversight, one that clouds our understanding of the Constitution and American law and politics in general. For the 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.   Political scientist and legal scholar Matthew A. Pauley fills in the blanks in our understanding by chronicling the three most important influences on the American constitutional experience: ancient Greece, ancient Rome, and England. Pauley’s masterful historical survey sheds new light on our system of representative democracy, our court structure, and our traditions of law—civil and criminal, public and private.   No student of law or government can afford to ignore this highly readable, deeply informative work. Athens, Rome, and England adds immeasurably to our appreciation and understanding of the roots of the American Constitution and our legal and political system. Cover Page Title Page Dedication Contents Preface Introduction Part One: The Constitution of Ancient Athens 1 Ancient Greece and American Constitutionalism 2 The Evolution of Athenian Democracy: Model and Contrast for American Democratic Development 3 The Empire of Reason: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle Part Two: The Constitution of Ancient Rome 4 Rome, America, and the Importance of Roman Law 5 Roman Law and American Law: Comparisons and Contrasts 6 Roman Law from the Monarchy to the Republic 7 The Republic in Decline and the Empire Part Three: The English Constitution and English Common Law 8 The Importance and Origins of the English Constitution 9 English Law from the Conquest to Magna Carta, 1066–1215 10 From Magna Carta to the Origins of Parliament 11 Henry VII and the Foundations of Tudor Constitutionalism 12 Henry VIII, Thomas Cromwell, and the Tudor Constitutional Revolution 13 James I and the Start of the English Constitutional Crisis of the Seventeenth Century 14 From Civil War to Glorious Revolution 15 From Classical and Common Law Background to American Constitutionalism Conclusion Notes Index Copyright Page