The Unmaking of a Whig and Other Essays in Self-definition

Résumé du livre

This elegantly written book of essays by syndicated columnist Yoder is for readers who take pleasure in civilized discussions of the American identity in the context of history and our constitutional culture. The first and longest of the pieces concerns a 1946 feud between Justices Hugo Black and Robert Jackson, which, in Yoder's hands, becomes a multifaceted discussion of the limits of judging. Among Yoder's major themes are institutions as the bedrock of a free society, notably discussed in "The Madisonian Persuasion'' and ``The Centrality of Institutions''; the ``ownership'' of the Constitution, which he wisely argues "is a trust between generations'' in "Whose Constitution Is It Anyway?''; and the importance of privacy and its place in the Constitution, the subject of an excellent essay, "Privacy, the Search in the Shadows.'' For political philosophy collections.-- Nedda C. Allbray, Brooklyn, New York - Library Journal.