H. Lowell Brown is an attorney and historian.

Attorney Brown argues that the American constitutional tradition derived from the legacy of Colonial charters, Colonial covenants, and Revolutionary-era state constitutions, all of which contributed to a body of constitutional law distinct from its British counterpart. The British constitution drew from a wide range of written and unwritten law that changed and evolved over time at the will of the legislature. In contrast, the American written constitution of 1787 established primacy over any legislative act and stands above the work of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. However, the Founders did not build their new constitution out of nothing. In crafting Colonial charters and state constitutions, Americans had already diverged from the British tradition of an uncodified constitution. In doing so, they adopted a more circumscribed form of constitutional government that limited authority by enumerating specific powers…. Summing Up: Recommended. Professionals.

• Part IConstitutionalism in Colonial America, 1578 To 1775ForewordChapter 1The Enterprise Colony of VirginiaChapter 2The Covenant Colonies of New EnglandChapter 3The Proprietary Colonies of The Mid-AtlanticChapter 4The Emergence of the American Constitutional Tradition in the Age of the ImperiumPart IIRevolutionary ConstitutionalismChapter 5The Quest for Federal UnionChapter 6The Revolutionary State ConstitutionsChapter 7The American Constitutional Tradition in The Revolutionary EraBibliography

H. Lowell Brown is an attorney and historian.

Attorney Brown argues that the American constitutional tradition derived from the legacy of Colonial charters, Colonial covenants, and Revolutionary-era state constitutions, all of which contributed to a body of constitutional law distinct from its British counterpart. The British constitution drew from a wide range of written and unwritten law that changed and evolved over time at the will of the legislature. In contrast, the American written constitution of 1787 established primacy over any legislative act and stands above the work of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. However, the Founders did not build their new constitution out of nothing. In crafting Colonial charters and state constitutions, Americans had already diverged from the British tradition of an uncodified constitution. In doing so, they adopted a more circumscribed form of constitutional government that limited authority by enumerating specific powers…. Summing Up: Recommended. Professionals.

• Part IConstitutionalism in Colonial America, 1578 To 1775ForewordChapter 1The Enterprise Colony of VirginiaChapter 2The Covenant Colonies of New EnglandChapter 3The Proprietary Colonies of The Mid-AtlanticChapter 4The Emergence of the American Constitutional Tradition in the Age of the ImperiumPart IIRevolutionary ConstitutionalismChapter 5The Quest for Federal UnionChapter 6The Revolutionary State ConstitutionsChapter 7The American Constitutional Tradition in The Revolutionary EraBibliography

H. Lowell Brown is an attorney and historian.

Attorney Brown argues that the American constitutional tradition derived from the legacy of Colonial charters, Colonial covenants, and Revolutionary-era state constitutions, all of which contributed to a body of constitutional law distinct from its British counterpart. The British constitution drew from a wide range of written and unwritten law that changed and evolved over time at the will of the legislature. In contrast, the American written constitution of 1787 established primacy over any legislative act and stands above the work of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. However, the Founders did not build their new constitution out of nothing. In crafting Colonial charters and state constitutions, Americans had already diverged from the British tradition of an uncodified constitution. In doing so, they adopted a more circumscribed form of constitutional government that limited authority by enumerating specific powers…. Summing Up: Recommended. Professionals.

• Part IConstitutionalism in Colonial America, 1578 To 1775ForewordChapter 1The Enterprise Colony of VirginiaChapter 2The Covenant Colonies of New EnglandChapter 3The Proprietary Colonies of The Mid-AtlanticChapter 4The Emergence of the American Constitutional Tradition in the Age of the ImperiumPart IIRevolutionary ConstitutionalismChapter 5The Quest for Federal UnionChapter 6The Revolutionary State ConstitutionsChapter 7The American Constitutional Tradition in The Revolutionary EraBibliography