Requiem: Variations on Eighteenth-Century Themes

by Forrest McDonald, Ellen Shapiro McDonald

In eleven provocative essays Forrest McDonald and his wife, Ellen Shapiro McDonald, cover a wide range of the intellectual, political, military, and social history of the eighteenth century to present both a picture of the age in which our Constitution was crafted and a commentary on developments that have caused American government or stray from the Founders' principles. Appearing here in print for the first time is Forrest McDonald's widely acclaimed 1987 NEH Jefferson Lecture, "The Intellectual World of the Founding Fathers." In other essays the McDonalds examine such topics as the writing of the Constitution, the central role of such little-known Founders as John Dickinson ("the most underrated of all the Founders") and the constitutional principles of Alexander Hamilton. Also presented is an exploration of the ritualistic aspects of eighteenth-century warfare and an analysis of Shays' Rebellion as a tax revolt. In chapters focusing on the separation of powers, the political economy, and the death of federalism, the McDonalds argue the urgent need to "return to limited government under law."

232 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1988

About the author

Dr. McDonald was a Distinguished Research Professor of History at the University of Alabama, where he was the Sixteenth Jefferson Lecturer in the Humanities in 1987. He was awarded the Ingersoll Prize in 1990. Professor McDonald is the author of several books including Novus Ordo Seclorum (University Press of Kansas, 1985), and The American Presidency: Roots, Establishment, Evolution (University Press of Kansas, 1994).

Reviews

[Carl Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Diverse brilliant insights into topical aspects of Revolutionary Era politics and law that do not lend themselves to inclusion in book-length treatments of broader scope.