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A short history of constitutional liberalism in America

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  • Roger D. Congleton

    (West Virginia University)

Abstract

American liberalism emerged before the most famous European liberal intellectuals put their pens to paper. It was grounded partly on liberal ideas that were in the air before those works were written, but mostly on the attractive communities generated by liberal institutions and policies. American liberalism is empirically, rather than theoretically, grounded. This paper uses excerpts from colonial and constitutional documents to demonstrate the long history of liberal institutions in the territories that became the United States. American liberalism is an evolutionary rather than an intellectual phenomenon.

Suggested Citation

  • Roger D. Congleton, 2018. "A short history of constitutional liberalism in America," Constitutional Political Economy, Springer, vol. 29(2), pages 137-170, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:copoec:v:29:y:2018:i:2:d:10.1007_s10602-018-9257-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s10602-018-9257-2
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Charles M. Tiebout, 1956. "A Pure Theory of Local Expenditures," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 64, pages 416-416.
    2. Nikolova, Elena & Nikolova, Milena, 2017. "Suffrage, labour markets and coalitions in colonial Virginia," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 108-122.
    3. Smith, Adam, 1776. "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations," History of Economic Thought Books, McMaster University Archive for the History of Economic Thought, number smith1776.
    4. Nikolova, Elena, 2017. "Destined for Democracy? Labour Markets and Political Change in Colonial British America," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 47(1), pages 19-45, January.
    5. Roger Congleton, 2011. "Why local governments do not maximize profits: on the value added by the representative institutions of town and city governance," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 149(1), pages 187-207, October.
    6. Lutz, Donald S., 1984. "The Relative Influence of European Writers on Late Eighteenth-Century American Political Thought," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 78(1), pages 189-197, March.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Liberalism; American constitutional history; Colonialism; Rule of law; Constitutional political economy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B00 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - General - - - History of Economic Thought, Methodology, and Heterodox Approaches
    • H1 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government
    • H11 - Public Economics - - Structure and Scope of Government - - - Structure and Scope of Government
    • F54 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy - - - Colonialism; Imperialism; Postcolonialism
    • D83 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
    • D71 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Social Choice; Clubs; Committees; Associations

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