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“Of Every Sort”: Conceptions Of Property Rights At The Time Of The American Founding, Zachary Wong
“Of Every Sort”: Conceptions Of Property Rights At The Time Of The American Founding, Zachary Wong
CMC Senior Theses
The most contentious issues of our day often have to do with political and social rights as opposed to economic rights. Through the lens of property rights I investigate whether this dichotomy existed at the time of the American founding. First, I examine the state constitutions and identify three clauses, common to the documents, which protect property rights. I examine their historical basis and reveal their connection to English common law and Locke, primarily. Then, I discuss the personal views of Madison and Jefferson to gain insight into the personal thoughts of two of the most influential Founders. Finally, I …
Referendum On The Revolution: The Pennsylvania Constitutional Debate, 1776-1784, Tristan James New
Referendum On The Revolution: The Pennsylvania Constitutional Debate, 1776-1784, Tristan James New
Online Theses and Dissertations
The Pennsylvania constitution of 1776 ignited an extensive and intractable debate that remained at the center of the state’s politics throughout the Revolutionary period. This debate encompassed disagreement over a broad range of questions relating to the relationship between government and society, many of which brought into question the implications of the concept of popular sovereignty for governmental structure and popular political agency. Competing notions regarding these issues, while expressed within a general framework of consensus concerning the source of political authority [the people], revealed fundamentally different visions of governmental order. Partisans presented these visions as inextricably connected to their …