A short and concise primer on the fundamental principles of the American Government, This Republic draws upon the writings of the American founders, and extensively the writings of John Adams, to thoroughly explain the nature of republics and republican governments.

In this third and final volume of A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America, John Adams brings to a close his lengthy argument against "collecting all authority into one center."By first continuing his exposition of the Italian republics of the middle age, Adams acutely demonstrates the disharmony and upheaval that result from governments being improperly balanced. He then turns to theory, beginning with the letter of Padua and extending ...

Available for the first time in a modern and readable edition!Preceding The Federalist by several years, this first volume of John Adams' A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America is a profound work of political and governmental theory.What prompted Adams to write such a remarkable treatise was a letter, a letter exchanged between a French statesman and a Welsh philosopher, between Anne-Robert-Jacques Turgot and Dr. Richa...

The letters of Publicola, a fascinating window into the debate that occurred in the early days of the French Revolution, before significant blood had been shed in France, before the French people had beheaded their king and queen, before the Reign of Terror, before Napoleon was a name of any significance, and before all of Europe became engulfed in war, written anonymously by John Quincy Adams.

In this second volume of A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America, John Adams continues his argument against Anne-Robert-Jacques Turgot and his theories of “collecting all authority into one center.”Delving into the Italian republics of the middle age, Adams uses pure history, extensive extracts from the works of Italian historians, to demonstrate to the American people, and the world, that the same tumult, corruption and blood that so p...

The most important documents of the United States of America are collected in this easy-to-read volume, which includes the Constitution of the United States of America, with all of the Amendments; The Declaration of Independence; the Articles of Confederation, and an appendix containing a list of the states by date of admission to the Union. Every citizen of the United States, student of history anywhere in the world, or anyone interested in understanding who we are as a nation should have...

The PrinceHere is the world’s most famous master plan for seizing and holding power. Astonishing in its candor, The Prince even today remains a disturbingly realistic and prophetic work on what it takes to be a prince...a king...a president.When, in 1512, Machiavelli was removed from his post in his beloved Florence, he resolved to set down a treatise on leadership that was practical, not idealistic. The prince he envisioned would be unencu...

The complete texts of the documents that tell the story of the clashes and compromises that gave birth to the Unites States of America.Should the members of the government be elected by direct vote of the people?Should the government be headed by a single executive, and how powerful should that executive be? Should immigrants be allowed into the United States?How should judges be appointed?What human rights should be safe from government in...

In the four and a half centuries since Machiavelli’s death, no single and unanimously accepted interpretation of his ideas has succeeded in imposing itself upon the lively debate over the meaning of his works. Yet there has never been any doubt about the fundamental importance of Machiavelli’s contribution to Western political theory.The Portable Machiavelli brings together the complete texts of The Prince, Belfagor, and Castruccio...

FINALIST--2008 PEN TRANSLATION PRIZEIn The Essential Writings of Machiavelli, Peter Constantine has assembled a comprehensive collection that shows the true depth and breadth of a great Renaissance thinker. Refreshingly accessible, these superb new translations are faithful to Machiavelli’s original, beautifully crafted writings.The volume features essays that appear in English for the first time, such as “A Caution to the Medici” and “The Persecution of Africa.” Al...

Machiavelli's commentary on Livy's history of Rome sets out his fundamental preference for a republican state. This translation is richly annotated, providing the contemporary reader with sufficient historical, linguistic, and political information to understand and interpret the revolutionary affirmations Machiavelli made, based on the historical evidence he found in Livy. - ;IDiscourses on Livy (1531) is as essential to an understanding of Machiavelli as his famous treatise, The Prince. ...