The Forgotten Bill of Rights

The Meaning of Liberty in Eighteenth Century American Political Thought

Authors

  • Gerard. J. Fitzpatrick

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15367/com.v8i1.539

Abstract

Although the Bill of Rights has become a sacred part of American constitutionalism, the meaning of liberty has changed significantly since the eighteenth century. Liberty two centuries ago was generally understood in communitarian terms: the people as a whole sought bills of rights to protect themselves against the usurpations of their rulers. Today Liberty is seen primarily in individual terms: the few, particularly unpopular and vulnerable minorities, invoke the Bill of Rights to secure themselves against the power of the many. Eighteenth century bills of rights thus rested upon a theory of liberty no longer remembered, a theory the author calls our 'forgotten bill of rights".

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Published

2022-10-20