Exploring the Foundations of American Constitutional Thought

Session Submission Type: Full Paper Panel

Session Description

The institutions of American government were designed according to the ideas of the framers of the Constitution, or rather, through dialogue and argument among the framers about ideas. Sometimes consensus was reached and a complex design was established that can be analyzed as though it were the product of a single intention. Sometimes general agreement on basic principles hid serious differences of understanding and expectation. The papers on this panel will explore the coherence of American constitutional ideas and the disputes that are couched within them, as well as the way these ideas and disputes influenced American political development.

Sub Unit

• Partner Associations / Eric Voegelin Society

Individual Presentations

• Constitutional Logic of Separation of Powers - Kevin J. Burns, Benedictine College

• Thomas Jefferson v. James Madison on Constitutional Endurance and Change - Deborah OMalley, University of Notre Dame

• American Ideational Development - Matthew K. Reising, Princeton University; Benjamin A. Kleinerman, Baylor University

• Madisonian Misrepresentation? The Federalist’s Separation of Powers Reconsidered - Benjamin Joseph Slomski, Purdue University Fort Wayne

Chair

• James R. Stoner Louisiana State University

Discussants

• Jordan T. Cash Michigan State University

• Connor Ewing University of Toronto