"Liberty in the Nineteenth Century" is a book on political and religious liberty and the mainstream philosophic ideas of the 19th century reflecting this topic. The author studies the influence of Napoleon and the French Revolution, the rise of transcendentalism and the works of Emerson, the growth of the study of evolution, and other ideas that reigned in the philosophic, scientific, religious, and political environment of Europe in the 19th century.

This book reconsiders the dominant Western understandings of freedom through the lens of women's real-life experiences of domestic violence, welfare, and Islamic veiling. Nancy Hirschmann argues that the typical approach to freedom found in political philosophy severely reduces the concept's complexity, which is more fully revealed by taking such practical issues into account. Hirschmann begins by arguing that the dominant Western understanding of freedom does not provide a conceptual vocabulary for accurately characterizing women's experiences. Often, free choice is assumed when women are in fact coerced--as when a battered woman who stays with her abuser out of fear or economic necessity is said to make this choice because it must not be so bad--and coercion is assumed when free choices are made--such as when Westerners assume that all veiled women are oppressed, even though many Islamic women view veiling as an important symbol of cultural identity. Understanding the contexts in which choices arise and are made is central to understanding that freedom is socially constructed through systems of power such as patriarchy, capitalism, and race privilege. Social norms, practices, and language set the conditions within which choices are made, determine what options are available, and shape our individual subjectivity, desires, and self-understandings. Attending to the ways in which contexts construct us as "subjects" of liberty, Hirschmann argues, provides a firmer empirical and theoretical footing for understanding what freedom means and entails politically, intellectually, and socially.

What happened to liberty and justice for all? Americans are losing what are supposed to be constitutionally promised rights at an alarming pace. The Founding Fathers understood the overriding essentiality of religious practice unimpeded by governmental authority, but time and vast cultural change has eroded this from the consciences of modern politicians. The struggle for the right to worship freely has been present since the time of the Holy Roman Empire. By looking at how the Ancient Christian world relates to the failures of our own Supreme Court, it is possible to see what has lead to so much government interference in personal religious beliefs in the name of “equality.” As we watch America teeter ever closer to the brink of moral collapse and prejudice towards religion become ever more institutionalized, one question always surfaces: How can we stop this? In The Liberty Threat James Tonkowich explores the history of Christian philosophy from the Church’s infancy through the birth of America and how it influenced religious liberty. With powerful examples fresh from today’s courts, Tonkowich illustrates just how the rigid separation of Church and state has created a world that is hostile to true faith. The Liberty Threat is both a chilling wake-up call and a clear call to action for Christians everywhere.