The Foundations of American Citizenship: Liberalism, the Constitution, and Civic Virtue
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Overview
This study of exemplary writings from the debates over the ratification of the 1787 Constitution deals with the American constitutional founders' understandings of citizenship and civic virtue. Discussion of these debates is set in an analytical and historical context, addressing the rationales for and the nature of civic allegiance in liberal political regimes. Sinopoli analyzes the development of a distinctly liberal political psychology from its origins in John Locke, Adam Smith, and David Hume through the American founding and traces its implications for the current American polity.
"An important and interesting work of scholarship....A considerable contribution."--William and Mary Quarterly
"A valuable book for upper-division undergraduate and graduate students."--Choice
"The most original contribution of this study is its emphasis on the political psychology of citizenship."--Reviews in American History
"A solid contribution to the literatures on liberalism and the founding period."--The Journal of American History
Synopsis
This study of exemplary writings from the debates over the ratification of the 1787 Constitution deals with the American constitutional founders' understandings of citizenship and civic virtue. Discussion of these debates is set in an analytical and historical context, addressing the rationales for and the nature of civic allegiance in liberal political regimes. Sinopoli analyzes the development of a distinctly liberal political psychology from its origins in John Locke, Adam Smith, and David Hume through the American founding and traces its implications for the current American polity.