Madison’s Republic: An Evaluation Of Political Liberty And Security In The United States

Date
2016-05
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Volume Title
Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
In American political philosophy, a highly contested topic is whether or not the United States government is adhering to the principles set forth by the Founding Fathers. While James Madison has appropriately been given the title, ‘Father of the Constitution,’ what principles and meanings did he actually incorporate into his draft and proposals to the Constitution? Looking to Madison’s writings reveals the parallels to Charles-Louis de Second at, Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu’s work, The Spirit of the Laws. In this work, I will outline the plans and contributions Madison made to establish the new republic and connect them to the writings of Montesquieu. Once the common principles and tenets have been established, I will examine the role they have played in multiple Supreme Court cases to determine whether the federal government that the Constitution established has been able to adhere to the principles Madison sought to instill in the document despite any discrepancies with Montesquieu’s treatise. Through the lens of The Spirit of the Laws, I will demonstrate that the Supreme Court has made several decisions that have worked to ensure that the federal government continues to uphold the main tenets of the republican government, namely political liberty and security.
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Keywords
liberty, security, united states
Citation