Before his untimely death in 1977 at the age of 47, Herbert J. Storing was one of the most widely read and respected political essayists in the halls of academia. As this representative selection indicates, Storing's interests ranged across the spectrum of U.S. political culture and history. His cogent and fascinating ruminations on the founding fathers portrays them as superb practical politicians; they were actually aware that their proposals coming out of Philadelphia would have to pass muster before a larger audience. In discussing the Bill of Rights, he convincingly indicates that its incorporation into the Constitution was by no means inevitable; in fact, many Federalists felt that its adoption ran counter to the spirit of a written Constitution. Finally, in this current era of heightened racial and ethnic consciousness, Storing's deliberations on slavery, race relations, and the significance of Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington are invaluable for their balance, restraint, and common sense. As the title implies, Storing sought to point the way toward better government and a better society, yet he did so while imbued with a healthy respect for the limitations of human "perfectibility." Politicians of all stripes can benefit from an awareness of such limits. Jay Freeman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

This book is part of AEI's Landmarks in Contemporary Political Thought series. The books contain major writings by five of America's most distinguished political scientists and political theorists.