The impending 1997 mandate to place before the voters the question of whether to convene a convention to revise and amend the New York Constitution becomes increasingly important and deserving of careful attention.

Ordered Liberty provides for the first time a comprehensive chronicle of the constitutional history of New York state from its colonial roots to the present. This volume uses as its organizational frame the nine constitutional conventions in New York history. Each convention is placed in its political, legal, and economic context - the work of the convention is examined, and the political theory reflected in each is explained. Finally, an assessment of each convention's accomplishments is presented.

Subsequent sections of the volume examine possibilities for future reform. An extensive bibliographical essay of primary and secondary sources on the state's constitutional history is provided.