{"product_id":"the-popular-sources-of-political-authority-9780674690004","title":"The Popular Sources of Political Authority","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRarely is it possible to hear the voice of the people in a revolution except as it filters through the writings of articulate individuals who may not really be representative. But on several occasions during the effort to draft a constitution for Massachusetts after 1776, the citizens of the Commonwealth were asked to convene in their 300 town meetings to debate and convey to the legislators their political theories, needs, and aspirations. This book presents the transcribed debates and the replies returned to Boston which constitute a unique body of material documenting the political thought of the ordinary citizen. In an important, extended introduction, the editors, interpreting the American Revolution and its sustaining political framework in light of this material, analyze the forces that were singular and those that were universal in the shaping of American democracy. Comparisons are made with popular uprisings in other parts of the world and at other times, and the whole is integrated into a general discussion of the nature of revolution and its relationship to constitutional authority.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eINTRODUCTION       PART 1:THE PROBLEM EXPLORED, August 1775-November 1776      1. An Act to Confirm the Records of the Provincial Congresses, August 23, 1775   2. An Act on Representation, August 23, 1775   3. Pittsfield Memorial, December 26, 1775   4. Proclamation of the General Court, January 23, 1776   5. Report of a Lecture by Thomas Allen on February 18, 1776   6. Essex County Convention, Ipswich, April 25, 26, 1776   7. An Act for More Equal Representation, May 4, 1776   8. O.P.Q., \"To the Electors,\" May 18, 1776   9. Pittsfield Petitions, May 29, 1776   10. Boston's Instructions to Its Representatives, May 30, 1776   11. Topsfield's Instructions to Its Representatives, June 14, 1776   12. Resolution of the House of Representatives, September 17, 1776   13. Returns of the Towns on the House of Representatives Resolution of September 17, 1776   14. Resolution of Worcester County Towns, November 26, 1776      PART 2: THE CONSTITITION OF 1778 January 1777-November 1778      15. Sutton Requests a County Convention, January 1777   16. Resolution Authorizing the General Assembly to Frame a Constitution, April  4, 1777   17. Resolve of May 5, 1777   18. Boston Objects, May 26, 1777   19. Journal of the Convention, June 17, 1777--March 6, 1778   20. The Rejected Constitution of 1778   21. Returns of the Towns on the Constitution of 1778   22. The Essex Result, 1778   23. Berkshire County Remonstrance, August 26, 1778   24. Response of the Worcester Committee of Correspondence, October 8, 1778   25. Statement of Berkshire County Representatives, November 17, 1778       PART 3: FORMATION OF THE CONSTITUION OF 1780 February 1779-March 1780      26. Resolve on the Question of a Constitution, February 20, 1779   27. Opinions of Hampshire County Towns, March 30, 1779   28. Berkshire County Address, May 3, 1779   29. Returns of the Towns on Resolves of February 20, 1779, May 1779   30. The Call for a Convention, June 1779   31. Votes of Towns in Choosing Delegates, July-October 1779   32. Proceedings of the Convention, March 2, 1780   33. Address of the Convention, March 1780   34. The Constitution of 1780    PART 4: RATIFICATION, May 1780-June 1780      35.Returns of the Towns on the Constitution of 1780   i. Berkshire County   ii. Bristol County   iii. Hampshire County   iv. Lincoln County   v. Middlesex County   vi. Plymouth County   vii. Barnstable County   viii. York County   ix. Suffolk County   x. Worcester County   xi. Essex County   xii. Cumberland County      Appendix: The Massachusetts Towns of 1780   Index","brand":"Harvard University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49403601289559,"sku":"9780674690004","price":147.96,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780674690004.jpg?v=1730483949","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-popular-sources-of-political-authority-9780674690004","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}