RECLAIMING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION: THE KENTUCKY AND VIRGINIA RESOLUTIONS AND THEIR LEGACY

"The history of liberty is, in many respects, a history of great charters and the events leading to their adoption. Consequently, revered documents include the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Conspicuously absent from this list however are Thomas Jefferson's and James Madison's Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, eloquent protests against the Federalist-sponsored Alien and Sedition Acts, restrictive legislation that persecuted immigrants and made criticism of the federal government a crime. Reclaiming the American Revolution examines the struggles over the use of government power between the Federalists and the Republicans from the early days of the American Republic and applies their lessons to current disputes regarding privacy, civil liberties, and individual rights. Although penned over 200 years ago, the Resolutions remain more relevant today than ever, as the role of government in society is fiercely debated."--Jacket.