One of the genuine classics of American political science
literature, "Constitutional Government in the United States" is
also a subtle and influential criticism of the American founding
fathers produced during the Progressive Era. Wilson's
interpretation of the Constitution shaped the thought of scholars
and students of American politics. His definition of constitutional
government and the place of the United States in the development of
constitutional theory continues to shape discourse today. Wilson
discusses the three branches of government in the United States,
the relation between the states and the federal government and
party government in a manner quite distinct from the founding
fathers.
"Constitutional Government" has its origins in a series of
lectures Wilson delivered at Columbia University in 1907. It is
carefully organized around three separate but mutually supporting
arguments. First, is the idea that constitutional government
evolves historically from primitive beginnings of the state toward
a universal and ideal form. Second, this idea of historical
evolution contains within it an analysis of how and where the
Constitution fits into the evolutionary process as a whole. Third,
the historical thesis itself provides a prescription for bringing
American government, and with it the Constitution, into accord with
his first principle of the ideal form of modern government.
In his new introduction, Sidney A. Pearson explores how, with
"Constitutional Government in the United States," Wilson helped
create a new genre of political writing using the point of view of
a "literary politician." He discusses Wilson's intention to replace
the constitutional argument of the founders with one of his own
based on the application of Darwinian metaphor in a political
science framework. And he examines the differences between the
views launched by Wilson and those set forth by James Madison in
"The Federalist." This is an essential work for all interested in
the evolution of American political thought.
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