Description: The Guardian of Every Other Right chronicles the pivotal role of property rights in fashioning the American constitutional order from the colonial era to the current controversies over eminent domain and land use controls. The book emphasizes the interplay of law, ideology, politics, and economic change in shaping constitutional thought and provides a historical perspective on the contemporary debate about property rights. Covering the entire history of property rights in the United States, this new edition continues to fill a major gap in the literature of constitutional history and is an ideal text for students of legal and constitutional history.
Review Quotes: Acclaim for previous editions
"An informative and balanced account of the history of property rights protections under the Constitution."--The American Journal of Legal History
"This slender volume should serve well on reading lists both in introductory American history courses and in upper-division legal history or constitutional law courses."--The American Historical ReviewAcclaim for previous editions
"Greatly clarifies the pivotal place of private property in the American system. Through a sophisticated historical analysis, Ely illuminates two recurring issues of great importance: the constitutional limits on government regulation of property and the complex relationship between property ownership and individual liberty."--Norman Dorsen, New York University School of LawAcclaim for previous editions
"A wonderfully compact odyssey through the history of constitutional protection for property rights in this country. Tracing the winding evolution of Supreme Court decisions that affected the uses and enjoyment of property, as well as the government's attempts to regulate the same, Ely constructs a comprehensive, yet surprisingly readable examination of the issues."--The Journal of Southern History