{"product_id":"9781594162923","title":"John Adams vs Thomas Paine: Rival Plans for the Early Republic","description":"\u003cp\u003eHow Paine’s \u003ci\u003eCommon Sense \u003c\/i\u003eand Adams’s \u003ci\u003eThoughts on Government \u003c\/i\u003eshaped our modern political institutions \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInitially admiring Thomas Paine’s efforts for independence, John Adams nevertheless was rattled by the political philosophy of \u003ci\u003eCommon Sense \u003c\/i\u003eand responded to it by publishing his \u003ci\u003eThoughts on Government \u003c\/i\u003eto counteract Paine’s proposals, which Adams said were far too “democratical.” Although John Adams is given credit for his substantive contributions to American constitutionalism, especially his notions of separation of powers, checks and balances, and representation, in \u003ci\u003eJohn Adams vs Thomas Paine: Rival Plans for the Early Republic\u003c\/i\u003e, historian Jett B. Conner makes the case that Thomas Paine was more than just a revolutionary figure who spurred Americans toward declaring independ­ence. \u003ci\u003eCommon Sense \u003c\/i\u003emade important contributions to American constitutional thought, too, particularly its call for more equal representation, popular sovereignty, a constitutional convention, and a federal system of governance with a strong central government. The book explores how the two rivals helped shape America’s first constitutions—the Articles of Confederation and those of several states— and how they continued contributing to American political thought as it developed during the so-called “critical period” between the adoption of the Articles of Confederation and the start of the Constitutional Convention of 1787. It also focuses on the creation of our democratic republic and compares Paine’s and Adams’s approaches to structuring constitutions to ensure free government while guarding against abuses of power and the excesses of democratic majorities. An abridged version of \u003ci\u003eCommon Sense \u003c\/i\u003eand the short but complete \u003ci\u003eThoughts on Government \u003c\/i\u003eare included in an appendix for easy reader reference. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Westholme Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47056965796080,"sku":"9781594162923","price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781594162923_p0.jpg?v=1763807840","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781594162923","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}