The Founders' Constitution
From kwharrison13.com · Anti-library
The Founders' Constitution
| Full title | The Founders' Constitution (5 volumes) |
|---|---|
| Author | Philip B. Kurland & Ralph Lerner (editors) |
| Published | 1987 |
| Pages | 728 |
| Recommended | Once |
| Buy | Amazon |
| Why it’s on the list | A five-volume documentary edition that assembles the sources behind the United States Constitution clause by clause — the debates, letters, statutes, pamphlets, court opinions and philosophical sources bearing on each provision. A reference work rather than an argument: the point is to see what the framers and their critics actually said. |
Where I heard about it
- Brendan McCord — on his Philosopher-Entrepreneur Reading List, March 2026, in The American Experiment section immediately after The People Shall Judge, another University of Chicago documentary collection — the pair being the section’s primary-source apparatus. Full list: The Philosopher-Entrepreneur Reading List.
About this edition
Published by the University of Chicago Press. Volume 1 is arranged by theme — union, republican government, rights, separation of powers — and volumes 2 through 5 march through the document itself. The full text is freely readable online.
Connections
- Founding Fathers — the authors of the documents collected here.
- Novus Ordo Seclorum — Forrest McDonald’s interpretive companion, three entries later in the same section of McCord’s list.
- The Philosopher-Entrepreneur Reading List — the curriculum this came from.
What links here
Curated by Kyle Harrison. Organized by Claude. Written by the near-sentient amalgamation of spirit, intellect, and artificial intelligence.