“The body politic is formed by a voluntary association of individuals: it is a social compact, by which the whole people covenants with each citizen, and each citizen with the whole people, that all shall be governed by certain laws for the common good. It is the duty of the people, therefore, in framing a constitution of government, to provide for an equitable mode of making laws, as well as for an impartial interpretation, and a faithful execution of them; that every man may, at all times, find his security in them.”
– Preamble to the 1780 Constitution of Massachusetts, written principally by John Adams in 1779
With regards to the Constitution, I count my journey as beginning in elementary school
When I was a kid, I read an illustrated children’s book about the American Revolution (shown below). This was the beginning of a lifelong interest in the American Revolution. But, although I didn’t know it then, this would eventually lead me to read the American State Papers – such as the Declaration of Independence and the (federal) Constitution. It would eventually lead me to study them in greater depth – and, particularly, the various influences on the United States Constitution. This would eventually become one of the ruling passions of my life. I count the journey as beginning in elementary school. I also remember an elementary-school teacher instructing us about the concepts of both separation of powers and checks & balances. But it was in middle school that I took my first civics class, and had my first real encounter with the Constitution.
An illustrated children’s book about the American Revolution
A middle school civics class introduces me to the Constitution for the first time
Specifically, in eighth grade, my civics teacher instructed us about the Constitution. Among other things, he introduced me to the idea that laws can be illegal – or, in other words, that they can violate the higher law of the Constitution. This has long been captured in the word “unconstitutional.” This was a new concept for me, but it soon made sense after it was explained to me. We then spent a class period skimming over the text of the Constitution. The teacher said that everything in the Constitution was of vital importance, but said that the amendments were particularly important to know about. Most importantly, this includes the ten amendments that comprise our crucial “Bill of Rights.” This was probably the first time that I had read any portion of the Constitution at all. I noted with particular interest that one amendment (the Twenty-First) had repealed another (the Eighteenth). But I had not yet done anything like read through the entire text of the Constitution. This would come in high school, when I was taking a civics class once again.
United States Bill of Rights
A high school civics class convinces me to read the entire Constitution for the first time
It was a “We the People” civics class, which was a sort of honors civics and debate class in my senior year. At that time, I was interested in going to law school and becoming a lawyer. Thus, I took a particular interest in the content of that class. I was then most interested in the debates over our Bill of Rights. Thus, when the teacher divided the class into groups, I tried to get into one of the Bill of Rights groups. But the teacher instead assigned me to a group focusing on separation of powers. This may have been a happy accident, because this is a topic in which I have long been particularly interested. Most importantly, I then took the time to read through the entire Declaration of Independence and the Constitution itself. This was the first time that I had ever done so, which is why I remember it so well. This was the beginning of a lifelong love of the United States Constitution. This class introduced me to the presence of Hobbes, Locke, and Montesquieu as influences on the Constitution. They also mentioned the hypothesized influence of both Rousseau and the Iroquois Confederacy. (More about their supposed influences here and here, respectively.)
Thomas Hobbes
College exposure to some of the relevant history of political philosophy
In my college years, I was occasionally involved in debates about constitutional issues – both in-class and online. But I was majoring in business, rather than political science. Thus, I did not then have as much time to learn about these things. But, in my freshman year, I did take a life-changing philosophy class. This ignited a lifelong interest in political philosophy. This made me want to read some of the classics of political philosophy. I read an English translation of Plato’s “Republic” during one winter break – more about that later. I also read Rousseau’s “The Social Contract” and Rousseau’s “Discourse on Inequality” for a college history class. I also read a substantial portion of Thomas Hobbes’s “Leviathan” during one summer break. But I took some time off from this for a couple of years. During a later summer break, I read John Locke’s “Second Treatise on Government,” and his other work “A Letter Concerning Toleration.” In a campout around New Year’s Day 2010, I also read some small portions of Baron de Montesquieu’s “The Spirit of Laws” in English translation. This made me want to read the entirety of the work in the original French, at some undetermined future date. I already knew French, so I knew that this was a real possibility for me. I also had the strong desire to read Plato’s “Republic” in the original Greek. But I had not yet committed to either one of these projects.
John Locke
Reading some of the influences upon the Constitution, shortly after graduating from college
After I graduated from college in 2010, I read Adam Smith’s “The Wealth of Nations.” This is another work that I did not yet connect to the Founding Fathers. And, in the summer of 2011, I finally undertook to read the Federalist Papers in their entirety. This might be my favorite work about political philosophy. This also involved my first reading of the “Articles of Confederation,” the Constitution’s predecessor. But, for many years, I did not read anything else about the Constitution. However, I did begin to learn some things from related movies and documentaries. In 2012, I was hired as a math tutor at Yavapai College. On one Christmas, I finally got a French copy of Montesquieu’s “The Spirit of Laws.” I then read the entirety of this work in the original French, during a three-year period. I also read Rousseau’s “Discourse on Inequality” and Rousseau’s “The Social Contract” in the original French, during a one-year period. (Again, more on the supposed influence of Rousseau here.) Sometime in these years, I had become acquainted with two other influences on the Constitution: Sir Edward Coke and Sir William Blackstone. Thus, I decided to read Sir William Blackstone’s “Commentaries on the Laws of England” as well. This was a four-volume work, which I read for roughly four years. I then began to read Sir Edward Coke’s “Institutes of the Laws of England,” another four-volume work. I am still reading this work at the time that I write this. I also read some of the laws of the mother country – such as the Petition of Right, portions of the Habeas Corpus Act, and the English Bill of Rights. I also read portions of the Magna Carta as well. I also read some laws from Colonial America – such as the Mayflower Compact, the “Fundamental Orders of Connecticut,” and the Massachusetts Body of Liberties. All of these had an influence upon the United States Constitution.
Baron de Montesquieu
Reading some of the influences upon our Declaration of Independence
Sometime during this period, I had also become aware of Founding Father quotations about the influences upon our Declaration of Independence. Some of these came from audiobooks to which I had been listening. These included the aforementioned John Locke, and a relative unknown named Algernon Sidney. But they also included some ancient writers, such as Aristotle and Cicero. To a lesser degree, they also included the Roman historian Livy, and Plato – although the extent of Plato’s influence is limited, as I show here. I decided that these people might be worth reading as well. I actually was reading Plato’s “Republic” in the original Greek, finishing it after four years. Thus, I later read Aristotle’s “Nicomachean Ethics” in the original Greek as well. I am now reading Aristotle’s work “Politics” in the original Greek at the time that I write this. I am likewise planning to read a portion of Polybius’s “Histories” in the original Greek, since I had also discovered his influence upon the Founding Fathers at some point. Others on my list include Cicero, James Harrington, Algernon Sidney, and David Hume. I also want to read the work “Cato’s Letters,” and Adam Smith’s “The Theory of Moral Sentiments” – which is connected to the Founding Fathers. I might also read some classical historians at some point – such as Herodotus, Thucydides, Sallust, Livy, and Tacitus. This is because John Adams credited Livy with “revolution-principles” (see source), and Thomas Jefferson cited Tacitus as “the first writer in the world without a single exception.” (see source) This made me want to read some English translations of these Greek and Roman historians.
United States Declaration of Independence
My ambitions to read some additional writings by the Founding Fathers themselves
However, I also have ambitions to read some other works by the Founding Fathers themselves. These include Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense,” Thomas Paine’s “An American Crisis,” and Thomas Paine’s “Rights of Man.” I have already read George Mason’s “Virginia Declaration of Rights.” But, later on, I also want to read John Adams’ brief “Thoughts on Government.” I have already read his contributions to the earlier-quoted “Constitution of Massachusetts.” I also want to read John Adams’ three-volume work “A Defence of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America.” I also want to read Thomas Jefferson’s “A Summary View of the Rights of British America,” and Thomas Jefferson’s “Notes on the State of Virginia.” But James Madison also appointed a particular justice to the United States Supreme Court. This was a man named Joseph Story, the author of a three-volume work entitled “Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States” (published 1833). Of the various commentaries on the Constitution, these may be second only to the Federalist Papers in their importance. Thus, I anticipate that these ambitions will take me a long time to fulfill. In some ways, it may be like an ongoing master’s thesis – or even a dissertation. That is, this is a subject in which I may now possess, or may later obtain, some true expertise.
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United States Constitution
Conclusion: The Constitution has been one of the ruling passions of my life
A journey that began in elementary school has thus become one of the ruling passions of my life. My lawyer friends could probably talk circles around me regarding the relevant case law. I openly admit my weaknesses in that particular area. Nonetheless, I am reasonably well-informed about the various influences upon our Founding Fathers. In particular, I am familiar with the influences upon our Constitution – and upon our Declaration of Independence, which itself influenced the 1787 Constitution. I still consider myself to be more of a generalist than a specialist, since I have dabbled in many other areas. Even within the area of history, I may be more of a generalist than a specialist. But it has been said that every generalist needs a specialty from which to branch out. If so, then my studies of the Constitution (and, to a lesser degree, the Bible) may be my truest specialties. I may spend a lifetime trying to do further research on this hallowed subject. But, if so, I will probably enjoy the journey as I go along. This journey has immeasurably enriched me – allowing me to understand the world of the Founding Fathers, and their most important legacy: the Constitution of the United States.
“In the government of this commonwealth [of Massachusetts], the legislative department shall never exercise the executive and judicial powers, or either of them: the executive shall never exercise the legislative and judicial powers, or either of them: the judicial shall never exercise the legislative and executive powers, or either of them: to the end it may be a government of laws and not of men.”
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Note: These posts do not have to be read in any particular order. Since time periods overlap, there isn’t much chronological order to observe here.
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