No other nation's creation, both politically and socially, owes such a debt to lawyers as the United States of America. This book traces the story of that creation through the human lives of those who played important parts in it: amongst others, of English lawyers who established the form of the original colonies; of the Founding Fathers, who declared independence and created a Constitution; of Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, Justices of the Supreme Court and finally Barack Obama. Even Richard Nixon features, if only as a reminder that even the President is subject to the law. The author combines his wide legal experience and engaging writing style to produce a book that will enthral lawyers and laymen alike, giving perhaps a timely reminder of the importance of the rule of law to American democracy.

Auteur

Anthony Arlidge was a KC for over thirty-five years, appearing in many high-profile cases. He submitted written amicus briefs to the Supreme Court of the United States and the Santa Monica Court of Appeals.

Contenu

Prologue: Walter Raleigh
1. Maps and Explorers: Richard Hakluyt
2. The Virginia Company: John Popham
3. Democracy: Edwyn Sandys
4. Religion and Liberty: Nathaniel Ward
5. Toleration: Cecil Calvert and William Penn
6. Representation: James Otis Junior
7. The Common Law: William Blackstone
8. Penman of the Revolution: John Dickinson
9. Revolution: John Adams
10. Independence: Thomas Jefferson
11. Constitution: John Rutledge
12. Bill of Rights: Roger Sherman and James Madison
13. Nationhood: Alexander Hamilton
14. Consolidation: John Marshall
15. Slavery Abolished: Abraham Lincoln
16. The World Stage: Woodrow Wilson
17. Legal Dynamism: Oliver Wendell Holmes Junior and Louis Brandeis
18. Social Intervention: Earl Warren
19. The President Under the Law: Archibald Cox and Richard Nixon
20. The Glass Ceiling: Sandra O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg
21. Epilogue: Barack Obama
  Appendix: First Fourteen Amendments to the United States Constitution