The Development of the Constitution

evought's picture
Submitted by evought on Fri, 05/18/2012 - 18:33
  • Frame the history of the debate over personal and civil defense
  • British Common Law and Bill of Rights
  • Declaration of Independence and Revolution
  • Constitution

Further Reading List:

  • Declaration of Independence
  • US Constitution
  • Missouri Constitution
  • "That Every Man Be Armed: The Evolution of a Constitutional Right" Stephen P. Halbrook The Independant Institute, 1984, 1994, 2000
  • "The Law" Frederik Bastiat circa 1850
  • The Federalist Papers (and Anti-Federalist papers)
  • "Ratification: The People Debate the Constitution, 1787-1788" Pauline Maier, Simon and Schuster, New York 2010
  • "Commentaries on the Laws of England" Sir William Blackstone, circa 1765

Approach to reading:

  • Don't accept any author as authoritative!
  • Frame the arguments in the context of longstanding debate over Rights, Duties, and Authority.
  • When someone claims authority, where does it come from?
  • When someone has a Right, what does it mean?
  • Who do you owe Duties to?
  • How do we balance liberty and civility? Is it really a "balance"?
  • What is nature of crime and punishment?
  • I select quotes often because they are the most conservative: define edges of debate.