The First American Constitutions

For the last twenty years this book has been cited by every serious writer on early American constitutional development. Any constitutional history of the independent United States must begin with this comprehensive study. This volume contains two new chapters: one demonstrating precedents in the state constitutions for the U.S. Constitution, and another chapter critically testing the 'republicanism over liberalism' thesis against political ideas and institutional arrangements that constitute the first state constitutions.

For the last twenty years this book has been cited by every serious writer on early American constitutional development. Any constitutional history of the independent United States must begin with this comprehensive study. Professor Adams combines a European perspective and a thorough knowledge of the antecedents of 1787 to create an insightful analysis of the replacement by the revolutionary generation of one government by another by—they thought—'constitutional' means. Acting for 'the people' in 11 of the 13 rebelling states, various kinds of self-empowered committees, 'congresses,' or 'conventions' created new constitutions and a system in which the states dominated over the weaker Confederation government. This volume contains two new chapters: one demonstrating precedents in the state constitutions for the U.S. Constitution, and another chapter critically testing the 'republicanism over liberalism' thesis against political ideas and institutional arrangements that constitute the first state constitutions. The bibliography has been updated to include the rich body of work written during the last two decades, much of it indebted to this pioneering study.

Chapter 1 Foreword
Chapter 2 Preface
Chapter 3 Introduction
Chapter 4 Government by Congresses and Committees, 1773-1776
Chapter 5 The Role of the Continental Congress, 1775-1776
Chapter 6 Choosing the Deputies to Form a Government: The Making of the First State Constitutions
Chapter 7 Republic and Democracy in Political Rhetoric
Chapter 8 Forms versus Principles of Government: Harnessing Enlightenment Ideas to Anglo-American Institutions
Chapter 9 Popular Sovereignty
Chapter 10 Liberty
Chapter 11 Equality
Chapter 12 Property
Chapter 13 The Common Good
Chapter 14 Representation
Chapter 15 The Separation of Powers
Chapter 16 Federalism
Chapter 17 The State Constitutions' Analogies and Precedents for the United States Constitution
Chapter 18 Testing the Republicanism versus Liberalism Hypotheses
Chapter 19 Appendixes
Chapter 20 Bibliography
Chapter 21 Index