The Intellectual Origins of the Founding and Civil War Constitution

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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