Overview
This text exposes one of the great failures of American constitutional democracy. The creation of an American empire over the 20th century has violated the fundamental philosophical meaning and political purpose of constitutionalism. A modern expansionist American republic has annexed offshore territories but contradicted the spirit and letter of the Founding Fathers by failing to admit these acquisitions into the Union. The text's focused case studies analyze each of America's quasi-colonies, revealing how the perpetuation of a now anachronistic foreign policy has rendered the inhabitants second-class citizens. It illustrates the pressing need for a nation fundamentally incompatible with imperialism and colonialism to grant full US statehood to its overseas possessions or face the growing demands for sovereign independence.
Full Product Details
Author: Robert E. Statham, Jr.
Publisher: Lexington Books
Imprint: Lexington Books
Dimensions:
Width: 15.10cm
, Height: 1.20cm
, Length: 23.10cm
Weight: 0.245kg
ISBN: 9780739104323
ISBN 10: 0739104322
Pages: 172
Publication Date: 10 December 2002
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
,
Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
Drawing on an interpretation of the Declaration of Independence based upon classical natural law philosophy, Colonial Constitutionalism provocatively examines the constitutional tensions between the founding philosophy of the United States and current governance arrangements with U.S. territories. This is an important contribution to discussions about territorial status that have only recently begun to receive the attention they deserve from constitutionalists. -- Mark Tushnet, Georgetown University Law School Robert Statham has written a provocative and stimulating analysis of a truly important and fascinating-and almost grotesquely understudied-topic, the continuing impact and implications of America's venture into imperialism. The United States is now perhaps the major colonialist in the world today, and Statham reviews the contemporary issues presented by our colonies in Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and elsewhere. Statham reminds us of significant constitutional issues raised by this imperialism; he also treats the issue within a challenging framework of a Straussian political philosophy. -- Sanford Levinson, University of Texas School of Law
Drawing on an interpretation of the Declaration of Independence based upon classical natural law philosophy, Colonial Constitutionalism provocatively examines the constitutional tensions between the founding philosophy of the United States and current governance arrangements with U.S. territories. This is an important contribution to discussions about territorial status that have only recently begun to receive the attention they deserve from constitutionalists. -- Mark Tushnet, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law, Harvard Law School Robert Statham has written a provocative and stimulating analysis of a truly important and fascinating-and almost grotesquely understudied-topic, the continuing impact and implications of America's venture into imperialism. The United States is now perhaps the major colonialist in the world today, and Statham reviews the contemporary issues presented by our colonies in Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, and elsewhere. Statham reminds us of significant constitutional issues raised by this imperialism; he also treats the issue within a challenging framework of a Straussian political philosophy. -- Sanford Levinson, author of An Argument Open to All: Reading the Federalist in the 21st Century
Drawing on an interpretation of the Declaration of Independence based upon classical natural law philosophy, Colonial Constitutionalism provocatively examines the constitutional tensions between the founding philosophy of the United States and current governance arrangements with U.S. territories. This is an important contribution to discussions about territorial status that have only recently begun to receive the attention they deserve from constitutionalists.--Tushnet, Mark
Drawing on an interpretation of the Declaration of Independence based upon classical natural law philosophy, Colonial Constitutionalism provocatively examines the constitutional tensions between the founding philosophy of the United States and current governance arrangements with U.S. territories. This is an important contribution to discussions about territorial status that have only recently begun to receive the attention they deserve from constitutionalists.--Tushnet, Mark
Author Information
E. Robert Statham, Jr. is Associate Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Guam.
