Ourselves and Our Posterity

Bradley C. S. Watson holds the Philip M. McKenna Chair in American and Western Political Thought at Saint Vincent College and is author or editor of many books, including Civic Education and Culture, Civil Rights and the Paradox of Liberal Democracy, The West at War, and Living Constitution, Dying Faith: Progressivism and the New Science of Jurisprudence.

• Chapter 1 IntroductionPart 2 Part I. Matters of InterpretationChapter 3 Chapter 1. Original Meaning and Responsible CitizenshipChapter 4 Chapter 2. "Common-Sense Constitutionalism": Why Constitutional Structure Matters for Justice ScaliaPart 5 Part II. Originalism and the Judicial RoleChapter 6 Chapter 3. Judicial Usurpation: Perennial Temptation, Contemporary ChallengeChapter 7 Chapter 4. Authority Doctrines and the Proper Judicial Role: Judicial Supremacy, Stare Decisis, and the Concept of Judicial Constitutional ViolationsChapter 8 Chapter 5. Freedom Questions, Political Questions: Republicanism and the Myth of a "Bill of Rights"Part 9 Part III. Law and PoliticsChapter 10 Chapter 6. Confirmations in Times Turned Mean: A Strategy for the HearingsChapter 11 Chapter 7. The Supreme Court and Changing Social MoresPart 12 Part IV. Originalism and Political ThoughtChapter 13 Chapter 8. Scientism, Human Nature, and Modern Constitutional TheoryChapter 14 Chapter 9. A Constitution to Die For? Congressional Authority to Raise an ArmyChapter 15 Chapter 10. Neoconservatives and the Courts: The Public Interest, 1965-1980

At a time of unprecedented governmental activity, where the Constitution seems not even to be an afterthought in our national policy debates, the contribution of a book such as Ourselves and Our Posterity couldn’t be more important. For if we are to recover any sense of limited government, dedicated to the securing of our natural liberty, such a recovery must begin with reacquainting ourselves with the Constitution and its moral foundations. In assembling some of the finest of America’s constitutional scholars, Bradley C. S. Watson’s volume is up to the task. These essays will serve as an excellent resource for students, scholars, and citizens who wish to return the Constitution’s principles to their rightful place in our national life.