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Books > History > World history > 1750 to 1900
While scholars have rightly focused on the importance of the
landmark opinions of the United States Supreme Court and its Chief
Justice, John Marshall, in the rise in influence of the Court in
the Early Republic, the crucial role of the circuit courts in the
development of a uniform system of federal law across the nation
has largely been ignored. This book highlights the contribution of
four Associate Justices (Washington, Livingston, Story and
Thompson) as presiding judges of their respective circuit courts
during the Marshall era, in order to establish that in those early
years federal law grew from the 'inferior courts' upwards rather
than down from the Supreme Court. It does so after a reading of
over 1800 mainly circuit opinions and over 2000 original letters,
which reveal the sources of law upon which the justices drew and
their efforts through correspondence to achieve consistency across
the circuits. The documents examined present insights into
momentous social, political and economic issues facing the Union
and demonstrate how these justices dealt with them on circuit.
Particular attention is paid to the different ways in which each
justice contributed to the shaping of United States law on circuit
and on the Court and in the case of Justices Livingston and
Thompson also during their time on the New York State Supreme
Court.
From 1824 to 1843 Newman was an active clergyman of the Chruch of
England; during these years he entered the pulpit about 1,270
times. Newman published 217 of the sermons which he wrote during
these years; a further 246 sermons survive in manuscript in the
Archives of the Birmingham Oratory, some only as fragments but the
majority as full texts. Volume I was published in 1991; the series
will consist of five volumes in all. This volume presents 58
previously unpublished sermons of John Henry Newman. Those preached
in his early days as Vicar of St Mary's Oxford include a series of
sermons devoted to Biblical history and contain some searching
moral portraits of patriarchs and kings. Another series of sermons
on the Epistle to the Romans with subsequent extensive revisions
reveals the development of Newman's views on Justification and
Faith leading up to the Lectures on Justification published in
1838. Of the sermons surviving from St Clement's, 1824-1826, when
Newman held Evangelical views, the present volume contatins a
number of practical sermons dealing with details of Christian
living. These are followed by sermons devoted to Biblical theology
in which Newman among other issues explores various aspects of the
Jewish religion as presented in the Old Testament. As many of these
sermons were revised and subsequently preached again, they are
important for an undrestanding of the growth of Newman's spiritual
theology.
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