Commentary British institutions were important (although not controlling) models for the American Constitution-makers. For example, the Constitution’s bicameral federal Congress had some similarities with the British Parliament. The Constitution built on the British concept of individual rights. The new U.S. postal system was a continuation of its British predecessor, with the Constitution borrowing its “Post…

Commentary Writers on the Constitution seldom mention the name of Jean-Louis DeLolme. This is unfortunate, because DeLolme’s book on the English political system significantly influenced those who participated in the constitutional debates of 1787–1790. The Constitution’s opponents—the Antifederalists—relied on it. And as the leading historian Gordon Wood testified, DeLolme’s book “had an extraordinary influence on…

Commentary   Montesquieu’s full name was Charles-Louis de Secondat, baron de LaBrède et de Montesquieu. When he was born near Bordeaux, France, in 1689, he was merely Charles-Louis de Secondat. He received the baronry of LaBrède (with rich wine land) from his mother. He received the barony of Montesquieu from his uncle. He received a…

Commentary In the 17th century, England, which always had been a monarchy, flirted with republicanism. From 1649 to 1660, England actually was a republic, at least in theory: King Charles I had been executed, and the country became a “Protectorate” under Oliver Cromwell. Not long after Cromwell’s death, however, a “Convention Parliament” invited the deceased…