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The Language of Liberty and Law: James Wilson on America's Written Constitution

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2009

JAMES R. ZINK
JAMES R. ZINK*
Affiliation:
University of California—Davis
*
James R. Zink is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science, University of California—Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616-8682 (jrzink@ucdavis.edu).
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Abstract

Although contemporary Americans take it for granted that a “constitution” is a written document, written constitutions were almost unprecedented at America's founding. James Wilson, one of the most significant yet overlooked of America's founders, offers a comprehensive theory of America's written constitution. Wilson argues that the written-ness of the U.S. Constitution serves two essential functions. As an initial matter, it memorializes the primacy of liberty by announcing that the authority of government derives only from a free people. Perhaps more importantly, however, the written constitution uplifts and refines the character of its citizens, and thus helps to constitute a people. A review of Wilson's writings and speeches reveals how, even in a rights-centric political order, the written constitution helps to cultivate moderate and civic-minded citizens without diminishing the fundamental importance of individual rights.

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Type
Research Article
Information
American Political Science Review , Volume 103 , Issue 3 , August 2009 , pp. 442 - 455
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 2009

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