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, dated 22nd March, 1778

the long version

"John Adams's A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America, originally published in London in 1787, was a pivotal document in the development of American political theory. Excerpted here in the second selection of the Akashic U.S. Presidents Series, Adams's Defence advocates for the separation of powers, a system of checks and balances, and a bicameral legislature. In his introduction to this volume, acclaimed satirist Neal Pollack analyzes some of the second President's key precepts and argues that American society is currently experiencing a "De-Enlightenment" that gives short shrift to the principles espoused by Adams."--BOOK JACKET.