Liberalism, Republicanism & the Constitution

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Abstract
The ideas of the founders have been a subject of ceaseless interest to students of American politics. This article explores the founders' conception of citizenship as expressed in the debates over ratification of the 1787 Constitution. The author argues that the "republican revisionist" interpretation of the founding does not explain satisfactorily the founders' views of civic obligation and civic virtue. A theory is presented to explain both the founders' deep commitment to liberalism and their concern with fostering civic virtue, which the author contends were integrated by the founders by drawing upon eighteenth century moral sense thought as best expressed by David Hume.

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