Constitution As A Revolution

The progressivist historian Charles Beard was quoted saying that the Constitution was a reactionary phase of the revolution. In this interpretation, the word “reactionary” means that it was somewhat conservative and was opposed to liberalism. However, the constitution was somewhat of a dramatic document, as it founded the first real democratic government. The Constitution was a document that came out of a revolution, and was a reactionary result of a movement that not all people …

…and owned property. Our constitution is by far a “reactionary” document. It was good for the people because most of the power rested in their hands, but it was also a completely new way of thinking and was unfamiliar. You can look at this whole time period and say that it was a time of great change and major reforms, but the ideas stated in the constitution and the rights of the people were reactionary.