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Kincaid reviews Tocqueville, Covenant, and the Democratic Revolution: Harmonizing Earth with Heaven by Barbara Allen.

Describes a number of general features based on the previous contributions on federalism & constitutionalism in a range of countries. These selections underscore the diversity of federal constitutionalism & the versatility of federalism as it has been modified to suit the specific situations of the 12 countries considered. Each constitution is an expression of its nation's history, culture, & politics as well as of its populace. No single paradigm, or paragon, of a federal constitution exists, but instead, a broad spectrum of modes are available. The appropriateness of any mode is bound up in the goals of the constitution founders & the particular conditions they contend with when assembling a federal system of sovereignty & democracy. K. Coddon

Factors that have prevented the US federal political system from being transformed by global & regional integration processes are examined. Although the US has experienced significant demographic, economic, political, & social changes since the mid-20th century, it is asserted that global & regional integration processes have not substantially altered federalism within the US. Several explanations for US federalism's capacity to resist the impact of global & regional integration are offered including that the US Constitution supported the establishment of an economically & geographically diverse & large country & the Great Depression centralized many aspects of the US economy that protect it from global institutions. In addition, it is contended that the US's robust involvement in sundry international organizations has also minimized the effects of global & regional integration upon intergovernmental relations within the US. Regardless of the international effects of global & regional integration processes, it is maintained that the US will remain a leading economic & political force in the future. Noting the exceptional characteristics of US federalism, it is suggested that the study's conclusions cannot be extrapolated to other federal systems. 29 References. J. W. Parker

Nineteenth-century America experienced fierce battles against two expressions of territorially based multiculturalism: southern slavery & Mormon polygamy. Both the southern way of life & the Mormon way of life were deemed barbaric, & considerable pressure was placed on the federal government to exterminate these ways of life. The abolition of slavery required a civil war, the aftermath of which transformed the federal Constitution in ways that enhanced federal authority to intervene in the affairs of the constituent states. The extermination of Mormon polygamy did not require military intervention; instead, the federal government deployed an array of increasingly coercive legal weapons that set precedents for twentieth-century interventions into the affairs of the constituent states. The battles against slavery & polygamy both reflected federal efforts to liberate persons from the tyranny of places &, as such, signaled a rejection of territorially based multiculturalism in the US. Adapted from the source document.