State constitutionalism: Completing the interdisciplinary study of constitutional law and political theory

Abstract

If we are ever to produce a complete and accurate American constitutional history, we must recognize that without the state constitutions in force in 1789 the national Constitution is an incomplete text. They must all be read together. These state constitutions together contain and embody a coherent political theory which is, in important respects, at variance with Federalist theory which underlies the United States Constitution. Nevertheless, the idea for a written national constitution, as well as the basic elements and institutions within it, come from the state documents. Furthermore, American constitutional history is the story of a competitive interaction between Federalist political theory and the Whig theory informing the state constitutions. © 1993 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.