Includes bibliographical references (pages 365-376) and index.
Contents
A new economic interpretation -- 1. The evolution of the prevailing interpretation -- 2. Economics and the constitution -- I: The Philadelphia convention of 1787 -- 3. The choice of specific clauses in the constitution -- 4. Another look at the choice of specific clauses in the constitution -- 5. The choice of the basic design of the constitution -- II: The ratification of the constitution, 1787-1790 -- 6. The overall ratification vote in the nation -- 7. The ratification vote within individual state conventions -- The lessons of 1787 and ratification.
Summary
"To Form a More Perfect Union presents an entirely new approach to the study of the shaping of the U.S. Constitution. Through the application of economic thinking and rigorous statistical techniques, as well as the processing of vast amounts of data on the economic interests and personal characteristics of the Founding Fathers, McGuire convincingly demonstrates that an economic interpretation of the Constitution is valid. Radically challenging the prevailing views of most historians, political scientists, and legal scholars, To Form a More Perfect Union provides a wealth of new findings about the Founding Fathers' constitutional choices and sheds new light on the motivations behind the design and adoption of the United States Constitution."--Jacket.
