An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution Beard

Major Themes This classic suggests that the U.S. Constitution was written by the country's monied classes and largely serves their interests. It remains an important work not merely for its historical data but because it raises the question of whether representatives need to reflect the class backgrounds of their constituents to represent their interests. Beard is the first to compare the economic backgrounds of elites with their mass counterparts. He argues that the framers …

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