Political theorist William B. Allen, editor and translator of a new edition of Montesquieu’s The Spirit of the Laws, and Alison LaCroix, author of The Interbellum Constitution: Union, Commerce, and Slavery in the Age of Federalisms, explored the intellectual foundations—from Montesquieu and beyond—of the U.S. constitutional vision and core values from America’s founding through the Civil War. The discussion was moderated by Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center.
Resources:
Alison LaCroix, The Interbellum Constitution: Union, Commerce, and Slavery in the Age of Federalisms, 2024
Montesquieu, ‘The Spirit of the Laws’: A Critical Edition, edited and translated by W. B. Allen, 2024
The Commerce Clause
Alison LaCroix, “James Madison v. Originalism,” Project Syndicate (Aug. 26, 2022)
10th Amendment
Andrew Jackson, Proclamation Regarding Nullification, (December 10, 1832)
Martin v. Hunter's Lessee, (1816)
Preamble to the Constitution
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