A Defence Of The Constitutions Of Government Of The United States Of America

Description

This historical essay was a pivotal document in the development of American political theory. Excerpted here in the second of Akashic's Presidents Series, Adams' Defence powerfully advocates for the separation of powers, a system of checks and balances and a bicameral legislature. In his introduction, acclaimed satirist Neal Pollack analyses some of the second president's key precepts and argues that American society is currently experiencing a de-enlightenment' that gives short thrift to the principles espoused by Adams.'

John Adams served as the second President of the United States of America from 1797 to 1801. Neal Pollack is the author of the classic The Neal Pollack Anthology of American Literature (McSweeney's, Harper Collins), Beneath the Axis of Evil (So New Media) and the rock 'n' roll novel Never Mind the Pollacks (Harper Collins).

"Neal Pollack's introduction provides a sound background to Adams' social and political thought, highlighting pithy selections from the Defence... Akashic's series serves as a convenient and focused way of returning to important primary documents and examining fundamental questions of enlightened society and good government anew." - The Times Literary Supplement