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We the People: Laying the Foundation

We the People, Volume I: Laying the Foundation

AI Summary + Endorsements.

We the People: Volume I – Laying the Foundation by James F. Gauss is the first installment in a two-volume series that presents American history through original documents. This volume covers the period from pre-colonial America to the start of the American Revolution, featuring full texts of foundational documents like the Mayflower Compact and the Declaration of Independence, accompanied by brief contextual introductions. The series aims to provide readers with unaltered historical sources, avoiding modern reinterpretations.

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For readers interested in exploring the complete series, the subsequent volume is Volume II: Birth of a Nation.

From Abe Books.

Albert Einstein once said, “The strength of the [U.S.] Constitution lies entirely in the determination of each citizen to defend it. Only if every single citizen feels duty bound to do his share in this defense are the constitutional rights secure.”

“We the People, Volume I: Laying the Foundation” provides every American the opportunity (perhaps for the first time) to read the exact words that formed the unique philosophy and freedoms that every American enjoys and the rest of the world covets.

The United States is the holder of the greatest form of public administration the world has ever known. America is a great country, not because of its wealth, technology or military might, but because of a God-inspired framework of government that had never existed since the dawn of time. But great governments and civilizations only survive a time and to the degree that their people retain the vision and purpose for which the founders and succeeding generations of leaders and inhabitants hold fast to the principles of moral character and freedom that were first established and formed the foundation for such greatness.

“We the People” firmly relays this foundation like no other American history book, by using those documents of historical significance (in their entirety) that have long since disappeared from our nation’s history books.

An invaluable historical resource for every school, public library, religious body and home bookshelf.

Endorsements.

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

            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

            [Volume II] is a superb compilation of historically significant documents which ought to be available to every citizen and especially to America’s young people. – Howard Phillips, President, The Conservative Caucus, Inc.

Author’s Note: Volume III is still unwritten due to other pressing projects.

For more books by the author, check his book site here.

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