We the People, Volume I: Laying the Foundation
President Woodrow Wilson once said: “A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday, does not know what it is today, nor what it is trying to do.” Modern America has developed cultural amnesia, but the documents and speeches in We the People are a valuable resource for recovering our heritage and identity.
Rev. Peter Marshall
Peter Marshall Ministries
At a time when the schools, and even the churches, have forgotten or deliberately obscured the true history of the United States, along comes We the People to remind all of us of the uniqueness of our founders’ inspiration. If it is true that those who refuse to learn history are doomed to repeat its mistakes, it is likewise true that those who refuse to learn history can never expect to repeat its successes.
Joseph Farah, CEO, Editor
WorldNetDaily.com
I think Volume I is terrific and will make an important contribution to an understanding of America’s foundations.
Howard Phillips, President
The Conservative Caucus Foundation, Inc.
When history was taken over by the social sciences, we wonder who we can trust. The best way is to go to the documents that shaped our history and the history of the world. We the People makes them available with some especially significant phrases separated out for easy observation. We can then decide on truth from the historical sources.
Albert H. Quie, former Governor and U.S.
Congressman of Minnesota; former
Chairman, U.S. History Review Panel,
Council for Basic Education
Here is a book that literally speaks for itself. Except for occasional excerpts highlighted by the author, this is a scholar’s smorgasbord of the very words---from the Ten Commandments to Patrick Henry’s most famous speech---which have articulated into existence the rights and liberties enjoyed by the Western world today. Valuable historical research that makes for refreshing and inspiring reading.
Dr. D. James Kennedy
President, Coral Ridge Ministries
Chancellor, Knox Theological Seminary
Jim Gauss has done a fantastic job in compiling and editing We the People and has captured the ideas and values of the American Revolution. Volume 1 is a must have for any home or school classroom and the information held in this book is an invaluable resource for every American.
Kyle Williams
14-year old home-schooled student,
America’s youngest national columnist
and author of Seen and Heard
We the People: Laying the Foundation, by James F. Gauss. American freedom is founded on thin parchment - documents written long ago, sometimes in archaic English, that bind our people and our government. Beginning with the Ten Commandments and the Magna Carta, flowing through John Locke’s Second Treatise on Government and culminating in Patrick Henry’s stirring speech and stopping just short of the Declaration of Independence, this volume binds together all the great documents that undergird our constitutional freedom. Reading these documents, it is striking to find out how important was the influence of God in granting us our rights and responsibilities. Dr. Gauss introduces each document with an essay that explains its context and significance. This is a book that should be on a shelf in every library and required reading for every young person of college age.
W. J. Rayment
Conservativebookstore.com
DebateUSA.com
We the People, compiled and edited by James F. Gauss, Ph.D., is a convenient resource for anyone studying the founding of the United States of America. Here one can find in one reference book those documents which were key to establishing our country’s principles and laws---find them as they were originally penned, not revised to suit present philosophy or political correctness.
Kathleen W. Carper, President
South Carolina Assn. of Independent
Home Schools
Have you ever looked for a specific document on the founding of our nation and been unable to remember which book you saw it in? Dr. Gauss has put together a fine compilation of documents which contributed to the principles on which our nation was founded. Volume I covers the time from the Ten Commandments up to Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty” address to the Continental Congress in 1775. Volumes II & III promise to be equally compelling.
Dr. Gauss has meticulously reviewed each document and gives commentary on the historical context of each, followed, in most cases by key quotes from the text, then the full text of the document.
This volume contains everything pertinent leading up to our founding. It contains such documents as The First Charter of Virginia, The Mayflower Compact, the Maryland Toleration Act, all 19 chapters of John Locke’s: The Second Treatise of Government, the Cause and Necessity of Taking Up Arms, the Olive Branch Petition and so much more.
The book would be tremendously helpful for students and teachers. It should be required reading in our schools, ‘should’ being the operative word.
The Forward and Introduction will catch the reader’s attention and you will not want to put this fine work down.
The author’s commentary is indispensable in laying the basic understanding for the student reading the document for the first time. Dr. Gauss does a fine job of laying the groundwork so the student will understand the necessity of the document and come away with a better understanding of its original intent. For example, in Bacon’s Declaration, the author explains that Governor Berkley ruled the Virginia Colony with an iron fist in the mid-1600’s and believed the citizens there to be mere “subjects” of the King. Berkley was against any sort of education for the common folk, believing it “dangerous”. It
is explained how rural Virginians lived without the benefit of civil defense against the Indians. The readers learn of the poll tax which further burdened those without the ability to pay. So when the reader reads Bacon’s Declaration, they have a good understanding of the basic climate which led to it.
I anxiously await the publication of volumes II and III. It will be a pleasure to have a full set of such important documents from our nation’s history in a 3 volume set.
Monty Rainey, Chairman
The Junto Society
These are important documents that we hope will be treasured by all Americans.
Lynne V. Cheney
Awesome resource. What an amazing and wonderful resource. This volume documents the beginnings of democracy in America and contains original source material relating to the history of these United States. This is a definite must have for every family. The author begins the volume with the Ten Commandments and ends with the Continental Congress of 1775 and Patrick Henry’s fiery “give me liberty or give me death” speech. Not only are the original source works worthy but there is also a glossary of the Old English words and a detailed index. I especially appreciated the author’s thought provoking commentary on each entry as well as the section which included “key quotes from the text.” I can’t wait to get my hands on Volumes Two and Three.
Diane McNett
Books4Homeschool
In post-modern America, the need for teaching the foundations of our nation is greater than ever. Most Christian history books do an adequate job of laying a foundation. Space constraints don’t allow for in depth study of what elements or principles the United States government is based. A look at the foundational documents is vital.
The three volume series, We the People, is a complete treasure house of those documents.
Unlike other books that have founding documents such as the Magna Carta, Articles of Confederation, or the Declaration of Independence, author Dr. James Gauss begins at the beginning of society, the Ten Commandments. Volume Three will end with present day documents that show how the United States got into the condition that it finds itself.
Volume One, Laying the Foundation, starts at the Ten Commandments and ends with Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty” speech. In between are major writings that led to the formation of the Declaration as well as the Constitution.
Instead of commentary, Dr. Gauss sticks to the facts. He presents a short historical context followed by key quotes from the document. The document is then printed in its entirety, allowing it to speak for itself.
The 450-page book begins with Peter Marshall’s The Prodigal Nation. The most useful feature is the Old English dictionary included in the back of the book. Throughout the documents, terms that are included in the dictionary are noted. This allows the reader to gain a fuller understanding of the documents.
Laying the Foundation is currently available in three formats, hardback ($29.95), paperback ($20.95), and electronic book ($5.95). The electronic book is in PDF format making it readable on any computer (Adobe Acrobat Reader required). All three are available from 1st Books (www.1stbooks.com).
Volume Two: Birth of a Nation is due out summer of this year.
Sample chapters from both books can be read at www.patriot-territory.com.
Susan Stewart
The California Parent Educator
CHEA of California
