Give the Anti-Federalists Their Due
Riot and mayhem welcomed the draft Constitution when it made the Philadelphia newspapers. Advocates of the new plan held a majority in the Pennsylvania legislature, then in the last days… Read more »
Tag: Montesquieu
On the Corruption of Liberty
The meaning of words change over time, which presents problems to historians and patriots alike. Liberty, being so important to the American psyche, is one such word. With that in… Read more »
God Bless the Lawgivers II
In Part I, we found that nearly eight hundred years before the birth of Jesus Christ, Lycurgus toured the various governments of the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Combining their best features, he… Read more »
The Framers’ Senate
Charles de Montesquieu wrote, “At the birth of societies, the rulers of republics establish institutions; and afterwards the institutions mold the rulers.” The institution of the US Senate has indeed… Read more »
Fearing Government
The spark for this squib is fear, a fear of not just where our once republic is going, but where it is. A government designed to “establish justice, insure domestic… Read more »
Of The Laws Which Establish Political Liberty
In Book XI of The Spirit of the Laws, Charles de Montesquieu touched on the nature of liberty and representation in republics. While the term ‘liberty’ is somewhat ambiguous, he… Read more »
Montesquieu’s Quips on Corruption
Not forty years after publication of Montesquieu’s great work, The Spirit of the Laws, our framing statesmen would combine their experiences with Montesquieu’s (and others) philosophy, and draft a Constitution…. Read more »
Montesquieu on the Corruption of Republics
The corruption of republics typically begins with corruption of its principles. In this squib, Charles de Montesquieu* could equally describe America’s corruption of separation of powers and embrace of populism…. Read more »
Montesquieu on Education in Republics and Despotisms
While Charles de Montesquieu’s The Spirit of the Laws was an oft-cited source during the federal convention of 1787, his observations weren’t limited to the balance of powers in government…. Read more »
The Necessity of Confederal Government
The first objection from Anti-Federalists was that the extensive territory of 1780s America could not support republican government. Citing a widely respected Charles De Montesquieu, republican government requires the consent… Read more »