Of Monarchs and Majorities
Thomas Paine's Problematic and Prescient Critique of the U.S. Constitution
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7951430 |
|---|---|
| Authors | William B Parsons (0000-0001-9056-6726) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 43 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 93-101 |
| Publication date | 2014-04-03 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Perspectives on Political Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1045-7097 • E-ISSN: 1930-5478 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/10457097.2013.782721 |
| OpenAlex | W1965542565 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 9 |
The goal of this article is to examine Thomas Paine's critique of the American Constitution, which depends largely on his rejection of the American executive and bicameral legislature. I contend that Paine's dim view of the American Constitution is consistent with his stated faith in human beings’ capacity for reasonable self-government, a faith that outstrips that of the Founders. While scholars usually attribute Paine's eventual alienation from the Founders to his participation in the French Revolution or his anti-Christian deism, this examination of Paine's thought reveals their substantive politico-theoretical disagreements and helps to explain his break with his American revolutionary brethren. I seek to adumbrate these theoretical differences to clarify Paine's contribution as a prescient—if problematic—critic of the American Constitution. The article closes by considering what modern readers might learn from Paine's critique of the U.S. Constitution
Alienation · Constitution · Epistemology · Faith · Limited government · Political science · Sociology · American Constitutional Law and Politics · Law · Philosophy · Political Theory and Influence
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |