Many Heads And Many Hands James Madison's Search For A More Perfect Union [Hardcover]

This lively and entertaining book begins a much-needed conversation about the modern history that our Founders knew so well and which our generation has largely forgotten. -- Dr. Lynn Uzzell, Scholar in Residence at Montpelier

Using stories of pivotal individuals within this process, VanDuren reviews the creation of these layers of law that eventually inspired the framers of the U.S. Constitution. For instance, Frankish Queen Balthilds reforms to land ownership in the seventh century led to Philips van Leydens 14th-century demand that rulers respect public interest . . . . . A fictionalized version of the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia ties all these threads together. First-time author VanDuren delivers impressive research on individuals whose ideas guided the drafters of the Constitution.?  Kirkus Reviews

In this age of Google and Wikipedia, it is understandable that most see history as a pile of facts . . . VanDuren serves up a richer feast. He paints the history of modern democracy as a vast tableau that wanders from its origin in Europe to the United States. VanDuren shows that many of the earliest intellectual and political movers and achievements in this drama are Dutch. -- Joe A. Oppenheimer, Prof. Emeritus, Government and Politics, University of Maryland

Those who care about the future of democracy will appreciate Mr. VanDurens vigorous and rigorous examination of the way Dutch and English influences worked from the European Middle Ages down through New England, New Amsterdam, and New York to the Federalist Papers and the American Constitution in the late 1780s. John C. Kemp, Plimoth Plantation.

Have you ever wondered why we practice separation of church and state? Or have secular marriage, or freedom of religion? Or enjoy democracy and the rule of law? And equality under the law? No taxation without representation? As Americans we hold these concepts dear. Our republic was founded on them and wel³¢