This book is an excellent source on understanding American Political Philosophy. I wish this book can be sent to every congressmen and senator in Washington DC....they could use a healthy dose of this book.

Free Government in the Making is replete with all the writings of thinkers and politicians who helped shape modern democracy. Beginning with Locke, and carrying through to the 1980's, it is an excellent compilation of what has come to be known as American political thought. Mason has contained a wealth of political theory in one book. It has helped me through two years of college-I wish I had it for high school as well. A must have book for anyone pursuing American History or Government.

If you've been truly curious as to what the American forefathers thought or hoped for in the American political process, I would highly recommend this book. Although I am not a native of the United States, this book gave me an objective evaluation of how the great American democratic experiment came to being. This book should be required reading for all students of American history.

American Constitutional Law: Introductory Essays and Selected Cases by Alpheus Thomas Mason and Donald Grier Stephenson is a book that when read you'll find an intricate blend of history and politics.

This is an excellent book for those studing constitutional law as there are plenty of case study with selected readings, queries, and key terms associated with each particular case. You'll get a real good dose of the constitution here and why decisions are the way they are at that time. Applying standards drawn from the constitution, the Supreme Court is the ultimate arbitor and guardian of individual privilege and governmental prerogative alike.

This book gives the reader a broad understanding of the present with respect to the past and includes relevant extrajudicial material. A very good introductory book on American Constitutional Law.

For any student of American constitutional law, this book is the best exposition of the fundamentals of the U.S. Constitution and the Supreme Court. Further enquiry into the subject is not possible without an understanding of the ideas presented in this book.

I read this book sometime in 1996. I was utterly amazed and awed by the predictions that the anti-federalist's prophecized would happen if a new Constitution was ratified in the form of that which is in place today. It is shocking to see now, here, in the '90's that all of those evils that anti-federalist's had dread are becoming manifest and have been doing so over the course of the last fifteen years at least. I am pleased that the high Courts of this country tried to uphold and embrace the spirit of our founding fathers as long as they did. If you read this book, you will understand why I made that last statement. The only thing that has saved us thus far, is the Bill of Rights attatched to the Constitution, but I wonder when that will no longer hold true. The documentation and references are priceless for anyone who believes in freedom and liberty and justice for all. You will be amazed to find that existing State constitutions of that day had "Bills of Rights" inclusive and offered in some cases better protections than our own Constitution!

This book has the ability to explain in layman's terms the complexity of the judicial power within the Federal System.

While other powers, such as the executive and the legislative are more known, the judicial power holds the pillars not only of justice, but of balance between the powers.

This book may contain some cases or verdicts that may no longer be valid today, but in essence, it is a grandeous study of the impact of holding the Constitution applicable today.

I recommend anyone to obtain and hold any copies of these books.