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9780199325269

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Tsesis provides a significant commentary on the revolutionary legacy and Jefferson's eternally memorable text. --Jack Rakove, The New Republic No document is as cherished, or misused, by Americans as the Declaration of Independence. For Liberty and Equality is a remarkably perceptive history of the Declaration, elegantly written and carefully argued, by one of our brightest and most original legal scholars. There is no better book on this subject in print today. --David Oshinsky, New York University Winner, Pulitzer Prize for History, 2006 Alexander Tsesis has written a remarkable love letter on the Declaration of Independence. That is, like Abraham Lincoln, he views the Declaration's proclamation of equal rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as the essence of America and, like Lincoln, he exhibits real anguish at the betrayal of this promise by toleration of systematic inequalities (the most notable, of course, being slavery). Although a marvelous overview of American history from 1776 onward--and the use made by political reformers of the Declaration's basic norms--it is also a call to his readers today to take seriously the demands that the Declaration places on anyone who would seek to make the United States a truly 'more perfect Union.' --Sanford Levinson, author of Framed: America's 51 Constitutions and the Crisis of Governance

"""The goal of Tsesis's work is ambitious, tracing how Americans have utilized the Declaration's decree of equality and natural rights in popular and political debates over almost a 200-year span...[H]is choice to include all the ways equality and liberty were interpreted during this almost two-century span of the nation's history provides an excellent overview of the broader evolution of American politics and culture into the modern era.""--American Nineteenth Century History ""[W]ell-researched and brilliantly written Tsesis makes a compelling argument that we need to continue to be guided by the principles stated in the Declaration of Independence and that even in the twenty-first century it remains the best standard for defining individual liberty. Through his meticulous attention to detail and his superb research and writing, Tsesis is very convincing. This is a book that should be read by both scholars and the general public.""--The Historian ""Alexander Tsesis deserves applause for his depth of research, clear organization, and his detailed writing. He skillfully draws your interest towards diverse stories of oppression and causes emotional response that is not common for a history book. For Liberty and Equality: The Life and Times of the Declaration of Independence is a compelling narrative of a formative document and a country that has come a long way in terms of human equality.""--Unbound: Annual Review of Legislative History and Rare Books ""[An] exceptional history of the Declaration in American political rhetoric...Alexander Tsesis meticulously details how the Declaration of Independence has stimulated and justified reform movements throughout American history.""--Tulsa Law Review ""Utilizing speeches and newspaper articles, Tsesis traces the importance of the Declaration of Independence as the purveyor of 'transcendent' American norms...Recommended.""--CHOICE ""Tsesis provides a significant commentary on the revolutionary legacy and Jefferson's eternally memorable text.""--Jack Rakove, The New Republic ""No document is as cherished, or misused, by Americans as the Declaration of Independence. For Liberty and Equality is a remarkably perceptive history of the Declaration, elegantly written and carefully argued, by one of our brightest and most original legal scholars. There is no better book on this subject in print today.""--David Oshinsky, Jack S. Blanton Chair in History, University of Texas; Distinguished Scholar in Residence, New York University; and Winner, Pulitzer Prize for History, 2006 ""Alexander Tsesis has written a remarkable love letter on the Declaration of Independence. That is, like Abraham Lincoln, he views the Declaration's proclamation of equal rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as the essence of America and, like Lincoln, he exhibits real anguish at the betrayal of this promise by toleration of systematic inequalities (the most notable, of course, being slavery). Although a marvelous overview of American history from 1776 onward--and the use made by political reformers of the Declaration's basic norms--it is also a call to his readers today to take seriously the demands that the Declaration places on anyone who would seek to make the United States a truly 'more perfect Union.'""--Sanford Levinson, author of Framed: America's 51 Constitutions and the Crisis of Governance"

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Alexander Tsesis is Associate Professor of Law at Loyola University-Chicago. He is the author of We Shall Overcome: A History of Civil Rights and the Law; The Thirteenth Amendment and American Freedom; and Destructive Messages: How Hate Speech Paves the Way for Harmful Social Movements.

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