Summary
The United States is a republic defined by a set of rules written more than two centuries ago!Even before the first glorious ring of the Liberty Bell, America was a land of freedom and promise. The Cornerstones of Freedom series explores what inspires people from all over the world to start life anew here, endure the economic and social upheavals, and defend the land and rights that are unique to the United States of America. Although some of the rules have changed, the basic plan for our democratic process remains intact. This book examines the system for our representative democracy that was conceived at the Constitutional Convention and was born with the ratification of the Constitution. It also illustrates the many challenges a republic faces and how the United States has faced those challenges throughout history.
Mark Friedman grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland. In high school he organized a rally against apartheid & got arrested at the South African embassy. He attended film school at the University of Southern California, where he wrote a short film titled "Broken Record," which the Disney Channel optioned for a cable television movie. Friedman has also worked on the Dukakis campaign, read scripts for the Fox Network, taught for the "Princeton Review," attended law school for a semester, & attended the writing program at Johns Hopkins University, where he is currently a visiting lecturer. His book "Columbus Slaughters Braves" was inspired by a 1995 baseball game in which Cal Ripkin broke Lou Gehrig's consecutive games record. Though Friedman loves baseball for its innate drama, he maintains that he has no athletic ability whatsoever. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
(Bowker Author Biography)