A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America Against the Attack of M. Turgot in His Letter to Dr. Price.

ADAMS, John.

Item Number: 4080

Philadelphia: Wiliam Cobbett, 1797.

Third edition of the first book in John Adams’ classic work. Octavo, original full calf. In good condition.

Adams wrote this work on constitutional theory while serving as Minister to the Court of St. James. It was a response to the liberal French statesman Turgot, who had criticized the new American state constitutions for their conservative economic framework. Adams's Defence was often cited in the debates of the Constitutional Convention. "A work marked by insight, breadth of views, conviction, courage, and—we may venture to add—much wisdom"--Larned, Literature of American History 2287. This volume was issued as a stand-alone work, and was followed by two supplemental volumes the next year. Howes A60 ("aa"), Sabin 234