The writings presented in this two-volume set, are the political tracts of the English speaking peoples in the 17th century which established principles of governance and liberty that could be seen to have not only benefited themselves but also the founders of the American Republic.
The English Civil War in mid-century and the Glorious Revolution of 1688 were the culmination of a protracted struggle between kings who were eager to consolidate and even extend their power and subjects who were eager to identify and defend individual liberties. The source and nature of sovereignty was of course the central issue. The writings, by the renowned (Coke, Sidney, Shaftsbury) and the unremembered (Anonymous) therefore constitute an enduring contribution to the historical record of the rise of ordered liberty.
